Charlie Bone and the Troublesome Trio
by Ehren Hatten
Summary: Charlie Bone gets a new neighbor across the street and ends up finding out that she is one of three new girls going to Bloors, each in a different department. Action, Adenture and Magic abound in this. COMPLETE!
1. The new girl

A/N: and yet again, I avoid my other stories to bring yet another fanfiction, but I assure you, I will eventually get those other popular ones done! I'M NOT NEGLECTING I JUST DON'T HAVE THE FRAME OF MIND NOR THE INFORMATION TO CONTINUE QUICKLY! As it stands I have two already that I have to reread just to get all the information straight so I CAN continue. In the mean time, you'll have plenty of other things of mine to look at, like my devart userpage and scrap book.   
  
Go. Look. Enjoy.  
  
Now, if you haven't a clue what Charlie Bone is, then… GO AND READ IT! IT'S FANTABULOUS!  
  
Oh and I haven't a clue if Asa is supposed to be a senior or if he's a year younger than Manfred, so I made him a year younger because that's what he seems to me. .   
  
Also, this all takes place after the third book. SO READ ALL THREE BOOKS!  
  
Charlie Bone and the Trio of Trouble  
  
Chapter One  
  
The sun bore down on Filbert Street as though it was the middle of summer, but even in summer, the sun wasn't quite as hot as it was this spring afternoon. Charlie watched neighbors across the street in number thirteen moving in, right next door to his best friend Benjamin. Benjamin was in Hong Kong, however, which left Charlie alone in his house in number nine.  
  
The man he was watching now was a tall, powerfully built man with wild blonde hair on his head and a squared jaw. He lifted a box and started toward the house. A woman came out wearing shorts. She, too, looked fairly strong, broad shoulders and strong arms and legs showing. Short, short brown hair blew in a slight breeze as she took the box and hefted it inside. They seemed nice enough.  
  
Then, he caught sight of a girl coming out and talking to the man. He nodded and handed her a few boxes and she started for the door. Her hair was shoulder length and blonde like the man's and almost as wayward, and she seemed to have the same build as the woman and the man, though she couldn't have been more than fourteen.  
  
"Charlie, your lunch is getting cold," said his grandmother, Maisie.   
  
Charlie turned and went to the table, where fish and chips was set out for him and his grandmother. His Uncle Paton was out at the bookshop and his other grandmother, Grandma Bone, was out, much to Charlie's discomfort. Whenever he couldn't have a good eye on his Grandma Bone, there was usually trouble brewing, though trouble would brew anyway, even if he was standing right in front of her.   
  
"I see we have new neighbors across the street," Maisie said with a bright smile. "I thought I saw a girl out there about your age. Maybe, after lunch, you could go over and get to know her. Heaven knows you need someone to talk to or is one of your school friends coming over?"  
  
"They're all busy at the moment," Charlie said as he drank his milk.   
  
"Well! Your mother won't be home until four and Paton will more than likely stay put for a while, you should go outside," Maisie said with a smile.  
  
Charlie was certain his uncle would stay put for a while as well. Paton had a crush on the woman at the bookstore, Miss Ingledew, who was the aunt of his friend Emma Tolly.  
  
With his uncle gone, that meant the Yewbeam sisters could come over at any given moment and start up one of their plans. He knew that after he had helped to successfully make Ollie Sparks visible and brought both Sparks brothers to Sparkling Castle, he was going to be given a real punishment. Charlie wasn't following the rules, as far as they were concerned and he'd so far managed to steal herbs from his Great Aunt Eustatia's garden and his Uncle burned down his Great Aunt Venitia's house after she had nearly killed Miss Ingledew with a magically constricting belt.  
  
It was only after Charlie had used the wand he had taken from Skarpo the Scorcorer's portrait on the belt that it finally broke away from Miss Ingledew, though she didn't even realize that she'd even been in trouble.  
  
"All right, Maisie," Charlie said as he put his dishes into the sink. "I'll be back." Then, he walked out.  
  
Charlie put his hand to his brow as the sun glared at him from above. Why was it so bright and hot today?  
  
He saw the girl again, coming out of the house, ready to take another box into the house, though she looked very much like she'd prefer being someplace else. The tall man, who Charlie realized was the girl's father, turned, he smiled broadly at Charlie. "Aye! Hello there," he said with a slight Scottish accent, "Come to say hello to us, or just to chat up m'daughter?"  
  
The girl flicked her father on his arm, ears turning distinctly red. "Dad!" she huffed at him.  
  
The father grinned broadly again and nudged the girl forward. "Go on! Say hello to the boy, lass!"  
  
She smiled meekly and put her hand out to Charlie, which he took, though his own face was turning pink at the man's words. "I'm Charlie Bone," he said to her. "My family lives across the street in number nine."  
  
"Morgan MacGregor," said the girl with a lopsided grin.   
  
The father grinned another winning smile and nudged Morgan. "Go on then… make friends and come back for dinner. Your mother and I can handle the rest of this."  
  
Morgan nodded mutely and motioned with her head for Charlie to follow. Charlie followed, but he wasn't entirely certain if she knew where she was going. "Sorry about m'dad. He's all right, but tends to joke around a bit." Her ears went pink once again and she looked ahead.  
  
"It's all right. I was glad he wasn't about to kill me or some such thing," said Charlie. Mr. MacGregor reminded him of Mr. Torsson, his friend Tancred's father, who was large and blustery. Mr. MacGregor, however, was thinner than Mr. Torsson.  
  
Morgan smiled that lopsided grin again as she looked about the end of the street. This confirmed Charlie's earlier assessment. She hadn't the fainted idea of where she was headed. "There's a park near here, if you'd like to go there," Charlie said, trying to be helpful.  
  
Morgan nodded and motioned for him to lead the way. "So where d'you go to school here?"  
  
"Er—I used to go to the local school, but now I go to Bloor's Academy." Charlie refrained from more information in case of something bad happening. It seemed that every time he met someone new, they were something bad or they were hypnotized or something out of the ordinary.  
  
"Ohh." Morgan glanced around a moment and then turned back to Charlie. "I'm going there after mid-term break is over. At least that's what my parents said."  
  
Charlie tallied another mark on the inside of his brain. "What department are you going to be in?"  
  
"Music. I play violin," she said with a bashful smile. "I'm sort of just starting out, really, though. Started last year."  
  
"I'm in music as well, though I'm not all that good," Charlie said. They'd reached the park and were walking around aimlessly. In the distance the bells in the cathedral were sounding off the start of a new hour.  
  
"Anything I should know about Bloors?" she asked as she jumped onto the edge of the curb and started walking on it like a tight rope walker. Charlie told her about some of the rules and the departments, the ruins and the forest, but left out the bits about the 'endowed'. "Oi—that doesn't sound very pleasant," she said after he was through.  
  
"It isn't," Charlie said as he jumped onto the edge of the fountain like she was doing.   
  
"Then, why go there?"  
  
Charlie nearly lost his footing for a moment and looked to Morgan. "What?"  
  
She was staring at him with stormy grey eyes. "Why go there if it's so horrible?"  
  
Charlie shrugged. "My aunts wanted me to go there."  
  
Morgan nodded. "M'gran said it was the best place for me." She turned and got off the fountain. "Then, Dad found a job at the school and that well cinched it."  
  
Charlie blinked at her for a moment. Her father was going to work at the school, which meant he probably had contact with the Bloors; which wasn't a good thing.  
  
They walked through the market and she bought a small bag of peppermints. As they walked and ate the mints, they came across Miss Ingledew's store. Charlie walked in with Morgan behind him. Emma was putting a couple of books away and smiled when she saw Charlie. "Charlie!"  
  
Charlie walked over and smiled faintly. Miss Ingledew was at the counter talking to Paton rather avidly. Emma introduced herself to Morgan and they went into the back room where Morgan began looking at the shelves. "So you'll be going to Bloors as well?" asked Emma.  
  
"Yeah." Morgan picked out a book and began thumbing through it before she put it back. "Music department."  
  
Paton came into the back and looked to Charlie, then looked to Morgan. She gave a meek smile and offered her hand before she introduced herself.   
  
"Paton Yewbeam," said Paton before he picked up a book from a table.   
  
"I saw that name on one of the portraits while I was being shown around. Yewbeam. Is that an old family?" Morgan asked.   
  
Paton nodded grimly. "Yes…"  
  
Morgan seemed to catch the faint hint that he wasn't about to speak further on that subject. She, instead, busied herself with Emma, pointing to a drawing Emma had done of a white bird.  
  
Paton leaned closer to Charlie. "New neighbor?"  
  
"Yes," said Charlie. "Her dad will be working at Bloors."  
  
Paton watched Morgan for a moment and nodded. "See you at home, Charlie. Be sure to be careful walking home. I don't trust what my sisters are up to."  
  
Charlie nodded and watched Paton leave before turning back to Morgan. She was smiling brightly as she handed Emma a few of the mints. After a while, Charlie looked to the watch he was wearing. It was his mother's, but it at least didn't look too feminine.   
  
"I need to go back soon," he said.  
  
Morgan nodded. "All right." Charlie said good-bye to Emma and Miss Ingledew before he walked out with Morgan trailing behind him. He wasn't so sure he trusted Morgan or her family now, though it had more to do with the tendency toward the Yewbeam sisters and the Bloors cooking up some new scheme to ruin someone else's life, namely his if they had a say in it.  
  
When they reached Filbert Street, Charlie waved good-bye to Morgan and went inside. Grandma Bone was at the door and narrowed her beady eyes at him in disdain. "Out and about with a new friend, are you?"  
  
"Yes," said Charlie as he walked to the living room. Grandma Bone stalked up the stairs, tossing him a few glares.   
  
"Don't be so smug, Charlie," she said sharply. Charlie hardly thought he looked smug.   
  
After dinner, Charlie went into his room and prepared his clothes for school the next morning. He looked out and saw something very large being moved about in one of the lighted rooms in number thirteen. After a moment, it stilled and there was a shout of praise and a cheer before the sounds died and the light went out in the room.  
  
Charlie thought it all peculiar, but just shook his head and sat down on his bed, looking at the wand from his Welsh ancestor. It belonged to him. It came from his mother's family, from Maisie's family. So why did his father get punished if it wasn't for marrying someone who wasn't from an endowed family.   
  
He remembered that Grandma Bone had said it was because he hadn't followed the rules and that her own son had got what he deserved when his car fell into that chasm. Charlie grunted and put the wand back into its hiding place before he got under the covers and went to sleep. 


	2. Ada and Corazone

A/N: You gotta love this… okay, as if it hasn't been said before, I'm saying it again. Read the three Charlie Bone books (Midnight for Charlie Bone, Charlie Bone and the Time Twister, and Charlie bone and the Invisible Boy) to understand virtually EVERYTHING in this. I think there needs to be a category for Charlie Bone on too. It'd sure as hell make things easier to place. .  
  
Also, as if this needs to be said, I own nothing but the three new characters and their families, other than that, the rest belongs to Jenny Nimmo. Enjoy your stay whilst I put on the soundtrack to PoA for your convenience.  
  
Chapter Two  
  
During the night, Morgan woke to find odd visitors coming out of Charlie's house. All three were women and all wore black. She watched as the three went to the car and had to force something back into the car before getting in and driving off.  
  
Morgan rubbed her eyes and thought about what the morning would be like and decided sleep was a far better adventure than trying to keep her eyes open during class. She had seen what the Bloors looked like and they weren't a pleasant lot; especially Manfred Bloor, who seemed to make her head hurt if she didn't think really hard about something other than his eyes.  
  
The morning came and Charlie woke to his mother shaking him. "Charlie, wake up! You have to get dressed and get downstairs or you'll miss the bus."  
  
Charlie grumbled and got dressed, then headed downstairs with his trunk ready. After a short breakfast that left him still hungry, he grabbed his cloak, which he still wouldn't dare put on, and walked outside toward the bus stop.  
  
He found Morgan there with her blue cloak on and black tights coming out from under the cloak into a pair of black shoes that had a strap over the foot. Charlie unconsciously straightened his white button up shirt and looked around for his tie as he trundled up to Morgan.  
  
"I rather like the uniforms. They aren't ugly and I think the cloaks are positively wicked! I feel so much like some sort of witch at the moment," said Morgan with that same slight Scottish accent that seemed cheerful as she twirled in the chilly air.  
  
Charlie grunted his response, not altogether thrilled with going to school at all. He'd, yet again, forgotten to go check on Runner Bean, his best friend Benjamin Brown's dog. While Benjamin was with his parents in Hong Kong, Charlie had to look after Runner Bean, but he couldn't keep him at his house due to his horrible Grandma Bone. She even tried to call an exterminator on the poor dog!  
  
"It's at least not as hot as it was yesterday," Morgan said idly. Charlie nodded automatically as he spied the bus coming toward them. Once on, he immediately went to sit with his friend Fidelio Gunn, whose freckled face and spiked brown hair was easily seen amongst the other music students.  
  
"I see you aren't alone at your stop anymore, Charlie," said Fidelo. He was glad for the trip to Sparkling Castle during the break. He'd felt so sorry for not being able to join Charlie on the little tasks he ended up getting into.  
  
Charlie shrugged. "She just moved in across the street, next to Benjamin's house." Charlie started putting on the cloak, which took a bit of an effort due to the lack of mobility he currently had. Once on, he saw the school gates looming ahead and was automatically getting ready to face Manfred Bloor or Asa Pike.  
  
They stopped and the children were let out alongside the drama and art buses. The drama students all wore their purple cloaks with bits of sequined shirts and odd looking make up on their faces. Olivia Vertigo came tromping over in a pair of purple stiletto heels like she had worn the first day Charlie had met her. Her hair, however, was bright, fire engine red.  
  
"Charlie! Fido!" She tripped and caught herself on the unsteady shoes with a big grin on her face. "I'm so glad I saw you!"  
  
Suddenly, a girl ran into Olivia, knocking her into Fidelio. All Charlie caught was the long brown hair a pair of dark eyes that seemed vacant as she walked past without so much as an apology. She apparently was one of the Drama students, but he didn't recognize her.  
  
Olivia grunted indignantly and straightened herself. They watched as the girl walked over to Manfred and Zelda and disappeared into the Drama assembly. "VERTIGO! Get to the coatroom and be quiet!" Manfred barked from under the arch with the happy and sad faces.  
  
Olivia made a face and rolled her eyes before waving good-bye to Charlie and Fidelio and running, more like tripping, over to the Drama coatroom.  
  
Morgan came over and smiled faintly. "Er… I know I'm supposed to go to the music coatroom, but where is it?"  
  
Fidelio looked to Morgan's case and smiled. "Violinist, eh?" Morgan blushed slightly and nodded. Fidelio pulled his own violin case up and grinned broadly. "I can play, too."  
  
"Come on," Charlie said as he pulled Fidelio and Morgan to the blue coatroom under the arch with a sign that had a trumpet and a flute crossed. They hung up their cloaks and went outside to join everyone else in the morning run. Fidelio explained that they all had to run a bit through the forest before going to assembly and classes. Morgan gave a general grumbling reply before heading off with them.  
  
Charlie spotted Emma Tolly and noticed she was talking to another new girl, who looked rather Indian in origin with darkly tanned skin and long black hair. The girl didn't look very lively, like the other new girl with the long brown hair. Emma walked over while the black haired girl started walking rather listlessly behind everyone as they went off to run.  
  
"Hey, Emma," said Charlie with a smile.  
  
"Charlie, have you seen the new girl that came in? She's awfully strange; would barely talk to me." Emma rubbed her fingers with a wince as she looked over her shoulder. Dorcas Loom grinned horribly at them and took the girl by the arm to walk with her.  
  
"How are your fingers?" asked Charlie.  
  
"They still hurt. I think Dorcas did something with that rope. I can't change and my hands still hurt," she groaned.  
  
"Get running, or something will come after you," snickered Asa from behind them, which made Emma and Morgan jump.  
  
Asa grinned horribly at Emma and then snapped his jaws at Morgan before trotting off after the rest of the crowd. Fidelio sighed and nudged Charlie and Emma along.  
  
During the run, Morgan accidentally broke off from the rest of the group, finding herself in a very strange place indeed. She had found herself in some castle ruins that seemed to wind around in a large maze.  
  
She nearly slipped twice as she traveled down in the hope of finding some way out that led to the others. The stairs had mold on them and were wet, maybe from a previous rain. She found herself in a courtyard where she could see the sun overhead trying to poke through the clouds.  
  
She walked into the middle to a fountain and looked into the dirty water and the stone fish still glittering. Suddenly, she heard something that sounded like someone was walking down into the passage. She looked around frantically for someplace to hide, but turned in time to see a tall, gangly boy with wolfish yellow eyes and red hair.  
  
He sneered at her. "You aren't supposed to be out in here. There are things here that would… eat up a little girl like you."  
  
"Sorry, I just… got lost," Morgan said faintly as she stared at the boy fearfully.  
  
The boy walked toward Morgan and grinned, wolfish eyes glinting in the light. First thing that registered in Morgan's brain were those eyes. They weren't normal. Normal humans don't get yellow eyes.  
  
"Are you coming? It's time to go inside," the boy said, offering his hand to her.  
  
She stepped back from him and he grinned even more. "I won't bite."  
  
She hesitantly stepped forward and walked around the boy. "Just… show me out, please?" she asked as politely as possible.  
  
The boy walked ahead of her and she followed him until they were out of the old castle ruins. She looked to him and offered her hand to him in a polite gesture. "Sorry for all the trouble. Thank you for showing me out. The name is Morgan MacGregor."  
  
The boy took her hand and barely shook it, only staring at her with those creepy eyes of his. "Asa Pike. Be careful next time or you might never find your way out again. Now get your cloak and go to class." Then, he pulled his purple cloak around him and walked off toward the garden gate.  
  
Morgan ran after him until she found her way to the blue cloak room and pulled her cloak off its hook. Then, she ran to class.  
  
Dinner was the best on the Monday back to school. They had chicken and fresh vegetables. Fidelio ate the vegetables, of course, being a vegetarian. Cook seemed to have gone all out with the dessert, however. It was bread pudding, which was highly unusual for Bloors to have.  
  
Even Manfred seemed to be in a fair mood, which meant he wasn't yelling at anyone and telling people off for talking.  
  
Morgan sat across from Fidelio, finding it more comfortable to be around people she knew already. Gabriel Silk was sitting next to her explaining that the food was only really good on the Monday back, the rest of the time, they were practically starved.  
  
"That's awful," she said in a hushed tone, "How on Earth do they expect to keep getting students with that sort of treatment!"  
  
"Miss MacGregor, please refrain from talking!" Dr. Bloor finally spoke up and his booming voice hushed everyone in the room.  
  
After dinner, Charlie walked to the King's Room, where all the endowed had to do their homework together. Zelda was making a pencil box move around on the table in one of her usual games while she sat next to Manfred. Asa was waiting outside the door. He gave Charlie a nasty smirk before he went into the room and sat down on the other side of Manfred.  
  
The brown haired girl was sitting next to Asa with her purple cloak wrapped around her. She wasn't really working. She was mostly staring at the page as though she expected it to move somewhere. The Indian looking girl came in and sat down next to the brown haired girl, her green cloak pulled back some on her shoulders.  
  
Gabriel came in and sat down with Tancred and Lysander. Billy Raven was sitting near Charlie with a meek smile on his face. Ever since Billy had come to Charlie's house before they pulled off Ollie Sparks' great escape, Billy had been forced to stay put in Bloors. He was an orphan, but he now didn't even have the option of coming home with Charlie anymore. However, Billy was able to go into the kitchens to visit his friend Rembrandt the rat.  
  
Then, Morgan came in and sat down next to the Indian looking girl. Charlie wondered what all three girls were endowed with when Manfred spoke. "We have three new students with us; Morgan MacGregor, Corazon De La Cruz, and Ada Isidore."  
  
Morgan waved at everyone cheerfully while both Corazon and Ada sort of stared at everyone. Manfred glared at everyone before going into his homework. Charlie sighed and looked up at the picture of the Red King in front of him. Every time he tried to 'visit' the portrait, all he could get was the sound of a cape rustling and some purring before a black shadow covered his senses. He could already faintly hear the sounds right at that moment and he tried to concentrate harder when Manfred's voice caught his attention. "Homework, NOW, Bone!"  
  
Charlie went right into his homework, not daring to look back at the portrait again. He wondered what powers Morgan and the other two were endowed with as he finished writing an answer done on the page in front of him.  
  
Morgan, however, was watching everyone instead of doing her homework. She wanted to move around, not stay in one spot and do all this work. Already, she could feel her legs and arms cramping up as she sat there. She looked over to Asa, looking at his cloak and then his red hair, which looked a bit like it needed a good wash. He was good looking, if he would wash more often, she assumed. She suddenly felt something like hair on her finger tips.  
  
Charlie looked up in time to see Morgan jumped away from her chair as Asa Pike jumped slightly, looking around with a slightly bewildered expression. Manfred glared at Morgan with malice. "Get in your seat and finish your work, MacGregor."  
  
Morgan nodded hastily and crept into her seat, her ears a distinct red color as her cheeks went pink. Charlie had only enough time to give her a questioning look before she shook her head and buried herself into a book. 


	3. The New Upset

A/N: aaah another chapter and I'm happy as a clam. XD Thank you to the two ladies who reviewed this thing! XD  
  
A word to the wise, please note that I am trying very hard to stay true to the stories, but if I deviate, it half because I am missing a couple of my books and have to rely on memory. This is what I get for lending my books out. . As for Asa…the guy is so very strange that he's capable of doing just about anything he damn well please. (Let's not EVEN get into his sniffing around Yalonda. . that was uber creepy!)  
  
Oh! And I don't have a Welsh dictionary with me, so any Welsh stuff that happens, don't expect much from me. .;  
  
And I've had these past chapters in my possession for a while, only last night did I put them up because I couldn't find a decent place to put them. So I hoped for the best on in the misc. section of things. SHOULD HAVE A CHARLIE BONE SECTION ALL ITS OWN! Of course, I may be the only one writing one, so maybe that's futile in its own right.  
  
And yes, I think Fido/Olivia is imminent as is Charlie/Emma. .; Well, they are only kids still.  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Watching Emma try to work with her hands was painful for even Charlie to do. They still looked red and she winced horribly every time she moved them. "It's getting worse, I can barely move my pencil now," she said to him one afternoon.  
  
"Maybe there's something we can do," said Olivia, looking worriedly at Emma.  
  
Dorcas came around to the small group and smiled pleasantly to Emma. "I hear you are having trouble in sewing, Emma. Would you like me to help you?"  
  
Olivia was the one that glared at Dorcas the worst. "Go away, Dorcas," she said.  
  
Fidelio gave Dorcas a faint smile and Charlie wondered what the latest of the 'Bloor lackeys' was planning. Dorcas huffed slightly and put her hands on her hips before walking off.  
  
Charlie looked up at the half hidden sun. "Excuse me," said a distinctly girlish voice. It was the Hispanic girl with the long black hair. Charlie blinked at her. She looked slightly different than when he'd last seen her. She looked alive.  
  
Corazon smiled faintly to them before walking past with her nose in a book. "That is a very strange girl," said Morgan as she walked up to them.  
  
"How so?" asked Emma.  
  
"One minute she's staring off into space, the next she's bright and cheerful like the sun," Morgan said as she watched Corazon intently. Charlie followed her gaze and saw Manfred walking next to the girl with Zelda Dobinski trailing behind.  
  
"Planning on standing around in one area forever?" said a voice from behind. Asa Pike grinned horribly at them and pushed through roughly.  
  
"You don't have to be so rude!" growled Morgan. Everyone looked to her with raised eyebrows.  
  
Asa turned around and glared at her. Charlie wondered if he should pull Morgan back from that look, however, at least it wasn't Manfred. Asa was only dangerous at night.  
  
"You lot shouldn't be standing around in such a conspiratorial fashion," Asa snorted.  
  
Morgan furrowed her eyebrows as though trying to come up with something good to retort with, but Asa snorted again and walked off. Fidelio patted her on the shoulder and shrugged.  
  
There was a faint shout from someone up ahead and one of the girls that was being corralled by Zelda and Manfred was running off. The sun came blazing out, causing Charlie momentary blindness.  
  
Charlie was trying to get his gaze back to normal again when he felt a small tap on his shoulder. He looked around and found Ada Isidore watching him with her eyes seeming darker than before, empty practically, like polished stones.  
  
"The five are strong and will break through. Beware," her tone was far away as though she wasn't even there.  
  
"Er…Isidore, are you all right?" Charlie asked.  
  
"One will lead the others," she continued, "and bring peace to the family of Red."  
  
Everyone looked at her oddly. "Ada, are you all right? Answer us, please?" said Emma with a slight frown.  
  
"HE is watching," Ada said in that same far away voice.  
  
"ISIDORE!"  
  
Everyone jumped and turned to see Manfred running over and grabbing Ada by the shoulders, pulling her away from them. She gasped and gave a yelp. "Ah! What's wrong?! What'd I do!" she demanded.  
  
Manfred pulled her away, glaring at Charlie as they disappeared into the castle. Olivia grabbed Charlie's shoulder. "What do you think she meant?! Do you think it was something important?"  
  
Charlie watched the castle doors for a while until he shrugged. "I don't know. That was…very odd."  
  
Morgan pursed her lips in thought as she looked to the castle. "I have a feeling," she said in a soft singing sort of voice.  
  
That night, in the King's room, Charlie wondered where Corazon had gotten off to. She wasn't in the King's room and she hadn't been seen for the day since during break.  
  
Ada was out of it once again, but not like before when she started talking oddly. She stared at her paper and wrote, but didn't look as though she was doing anything for real.  
  
Morgan was staring off into space once again, looking at various objects. She looked over to Asa and then stretched her fingers. Charlie looked over in time to see Asa jump out of his seat and Morgan looking at her hand hurriedly.  
  
"Do that again, MacGregor and I'll personally tell the headmaster you're abusing your gifts!" he snarled. He was pale, more than usual, and looked shaken.  
  
She was decidedly pink and didn't look up as she picked up her pen and wrote hurriedly on her paper. Lysander looked to Charlie and motioned to the three with a questioning look. Charlie shrugged and went back to his work.  
  
A sound woke Morgan up. That was odd, since she tended to sleep like she was dead. She looked around the darkened dorm, the other girls asleep and a few were snoring.  
  
She got up as she heard the noise again. It sounded a bit like an animal. She looked around until she caught sight of something walking outside. It was odd. The creature she was watching was neither a wolf, cat, or hyenna, but something of a combination of all three. It was grey and padded around as though sniffing for something.  
  
She suddenly remembered Corazon and pulled on her cloak to keep warm as she tiptoed out the door. Emma saw her leave and walked to the door to see where she was going. She had to duck back as the Matron came toward the girls' door.  
  
Morgan walked as silently as she could into the garden and toward the forest. Maybe Corazon had found herself in the ruins and that was where she was staying?  
  
She heard a howl and ran into the forest quickly, holding her flashlight ready to hit something if she had to. Her heart thudded in her ears as she went into the ruins and called softly into the dark. "Corazon! Corazon De La Cruz! Are you here?"  
  
The further she went the more frightened she was becoming. It took all the courage she had to keep looking. She didn't like the dark at all. It brought out the shadows which always looked like things that could come out and get her. Then, there was the silence. She hated that most of all! She always imagined she could hear something behind her and then nothing was there.  
  
"Corazon!" she hissed into the darkness. She came into the room with the stone fish set in the fountain. In the moonlight she could see it glisten. There, she saw something move. "Corazon! Don't worry, I'm getting you out of here!"  
  
There was a growl from behind her. She gasped and whipped around with the flashlight, hitting the creature on the snout with it as hard as she could. Corazon gasped and leapt out of her hiding spot, running away from Morgan. "CORAZON!"  
  
Morgan looked to the beast in front of her as she backed away toward where Corazon had gone. She gulped and held that flashlight like a sword, glaring at the beast.  
  
Suddenly, three cats came out of no where and circled the beast. They were bright as the sun, flaming even. One was a deep copper red, the second bright orange and the last a brilliant yellow. They hissed at the beast and backed it out of the corridor.  
  
Morgan darted into the next room and found Corazon hiding behind a pillar. "Come on! We have to get out of here!"  
  
She grabbed Corazon's hand and pulled her out and darted past the three cats. She heard a lonesome howl and pounded faster up the pathway out into the forest.  
  
Getting into the girls' dorm was difficult, but they made it past The Matron and inside. Corazon was badly shaken as Emma came over. "What happened?" she hissed.  
  
"Corazon was the one missing. I figured since she was gone that she was the one that had run off without so much as a word. I found her in the ruins when this beast came up behind me and nearly attacked us," Morgan said as she lead Corazon to her bed.  
  
Emma looked to the door and pulled Morgan away. She could hear the Matron coming up now. "In bed! Now!" she hissed frantically and shoved Morgan into bed. Then, she ran to her bed and practically leapt under the covers just as the door opened and a light filtered inside from a flashlight. She heard the disgruntled grunt and then the door closed.  
  
Emma breathed a sigh of relief and snuggled into her pillow, her hands forgotten for now.  
  
Charlie went to see Cook, having "accidentally" knocked his glass of milk onto the floor and was "retrieving a mop" to clean it up. She knocked on the special panel of wood that let him know that he was going into the right closet. Then, he peered in, closing the closet door behind him. "Cook?" he asked.  
  
Cook wasn't inside, unfortunately and he grunted as he pulled out and walked out of the closet with a mop. He needed to ask what she knew of the three newcomers. Morgan didn't seem very dangerous, but her powers were unknown to him as were the powers of the other two.  
  
He looked to the portraits of some of the topmost families of Bloor's Academy. Raven, Silk, Yewbeam, Pike and Bloor were the people along the hall to the blue cafeteria. The ones they had didn't look very pleasant, but then, what was in Bloor's Academy?  
  
"What's wrong, Charlie?" asked Gabriel from behind him.  
  
Charlie looked to Gabriel and shook his head. "Nothing, was thinking about….nothing." He walked to the mess he'd created and started cleaning it up with the mop.  
  
"Oi! Charlie! Did you hear!?" Lysander called to him. Fidelio stood up and looked to Lysander.  
  
"Last night… that girl, Corazon, was rescued from that great beast Asa by MacGregor!" he said with a grin. "It seems Charlie isn't the only upset here!" he chuckled.  
  
Fidelio smirked. "Charlie's the only one here who's the professional at being an upset to the Bloors." Charlie went pink in the ears and took the mop back. When he came back, Tancred and Lysander were together waiting for him at the table. Fidelio was surprised that Olivia or Emma hadn't even mentioned it yet to him. The "terrible two" told them what they had heard from Morgan herself, though she was on the other side of the room.  
  
When it was all said, Charlie looked to Morgan again, with a slightly different attitude. "So, as we said, you aren't the only upset around here now," said Lysander with a grin.  
  
Tancred looked to Morgan as well. "Not the only one, he was never the only one."  
  
"It might take the load off of Charlie, though, from him being Charlie," said Gabriel with a faint smile to Charlie. "They'll be concentrating on Charlie AND Morgan by the next week, just you wait."  
  
Charlie looked to Morgan and gave a sighed, rubbing his head. That's the last thing he wanted put on anyone. However, it would leave the Bloors occupied with someone else for a change.  
  
During break, Charlie wound his way over to Olivia and Emma. Olivia was bouncing on her heels as she gave the same story as Lysander and Tancred, which Emma interjected with some comments on how stupid it had really been for Morgan to have gone out at all. In the end, everything had come out, but Charlie had to agree to a certain extent that going out all alone like that was not such a bright idea.  
  
Fidelio gave a small shrug. "Charlie does the same things."  
  
Charlie blushed slightly. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the sight of Ada in front of him again. Her eyes were like polished stones once more.  
  
"ISIDORE!"  
  
They turned in time to see Manfred stalk over grab Ada by the arm forcefully and drag her away. Charlie caught a part of what he was saying before he was too far away. "Damnable girls! I can't believe I have to keep an eye on BOTH of them. Bloody menaces is what they are!" 


	4. The Unknown Trio

A/N: I hope ya'll are enjoyin' yourselves. I'm getting this done as well as I can, and hopefully I'll not screw it up.  
  
I'm doing two other things at the moment, Austin Friends, which is still in the processes of being put together, and The Phantom of Wonderland. PoW is a comic I'm doing which is the sequel to the previous comic I did Wonderland in the Caribbean. I'm putting together a site for this, and I think, ultimately, I'll have to put together a secondary site for PoW because I've 88 pages to deal with JUST for Wonderland in the Caribbean and I'll probably end up with just as much for is the place I think you need to go to have a look/see, but I can't promise anything since I'm still trying to get pages up…. Five at a time. Only up to 50 now.  
  
Chapter Four  
  
"Charlie! You wouldn't believe what I have to tell you!" said Emma happily. "The new teacher is so nice!"  
  
Charlie looked to Emma from watching the three new girls, Morgan, Corazon and Ada in their separate locations. He looked up at the sky and shielded his eyes from the sun blazing down. "How so? What's his name?"  
  
"Mr. MacGregor! He's so nice! And funny! He comes into class and makes jokes about Dr. Bloor and then shows us something he's done in his artwork. He's so good! He even draws BIRDS!"  
  
Charlie looked to Morgan. So that was where her father was working. Apparently, her father didn't like Dr. Bloor if he made jokes about him. "What sort of jokes?"  
  
"What does it matter," said Emma with less enthusiasm before she started talking to the concrete wall that was Charlie Bone when he was thinking. "He came in once imitating him. He did a fair job of it, as well."  
  
Charlie looked to Emma and blinked. "Oh? I guess he isn't all that bad then, is he."  
  
Emma grunted and fixed Charlie with an irritated glare. "No. He isn't that bad at all. Whatever gave you the idea that he would—oh."  
  
It hadn't occurred to her until just then, but the fact that Morgan had immediately made herself Charlie's friend and that her dad was working at Bloors' might not be such a good thing at all. As it turned out, Morgan was just wanting friends and, as it seemed, she was good at making sure she did, and her father was just as nice and fun with out being a part of Bloors'. "Do you think he might help us like Mr. Boldo—Mr. Sparks did for us?"  
  
"I certainly hope so," said Charlie as he watched Ada and Corazon be shoved off by Dorcas.  
  
Morgan came over in a huff. "That's IT! I've had it up to HERE with that bloke!"  
  
Emma blinked at Morgan. "Eh?"  
  
"Pike…er… Asa Pike, that is. He keeps pestering me and making fun of my hair! I know it's messy, but I can't help that!" Morgan huffed again and cracked her knuckles as she narrowed her eyes in the direction of Asa Pike, who was talking to an older girl with a sneaky expression on his wolfish features.  
  
Suddenly, he jumped and twirled around to find whatever had startled him. Morgan grinned and stretched her fingers as Charlie watched her. "Are you doing something to him?"  
  
Morgan blinked to Charlie and grinned. "Nope. Definitely not." She looked over just as Asa was becoming settled and then stretched her fingers again. Asa jumped again clutching his rear with a hand. She grinned and shrugged to Charlie. "Nothing at all."  
  
As she walked off, Charlie watched as Asa rubbed his rear and his ears turned red. Emma blinked at Charlie and then Asa. "Do you know what her gift is, Charlie?"  
  
"Not a clue. I can't even figure out how she's making him jump," said Charlie with a very bewildered expression on his face. "What about the other two? Do you know what they do?"  
  
"Nothing. I can't talk to Corazon much, since Dorcas generally has her by her side. As for Ada, you might see if Olivia has any ideas about her." Emma rubbed her fingers with a wince and smiled faintly. "Going home tomorrow. You haven't ended up with detention all week, isn't that great?"  
  
"We'll see," said Charlie with a faint frown.  
  
Olivia came into the theatre room and saw Ada sitting by herself at a table. The teacher was out and the only thing she had to worry about was Manfred coming in and bothering her.  
  
She walked over to Ada and smiled. "Hello, Ada. Are you all right? You look a bit out of it."  
  
Ada didn't look up. "He's watching. He's always watching." Her voice sounded a bit far away.  
  
"Manfred? Yeah, you get used to it, eventually. Just don't directly into his eyes. He's a really mean one, that one." Olivia sat down and swung her feet under her.  
  
Ada didn't look at her still. "There must always be balance."  
  
"Of course, there's always balance. If you didn't have balance, then what would happen to the world, eh?" Olivia was really beginning to wonder about Ada and her sanity.  
  
Ada looked up at Olivia finally. "Hmmm? Did you say something? Sorry, must have dozed off. I've been doing that a lot lately." She smiled, bright brown eyes glittering with happiness.  
  
Olivia frowned slightly at Ada. "Er, not really. I was saying Manfred would be along anytime soon."  
  
Ada's expression flashed a look of horror just as Manfred walked in. Manfred glared at Olivia. "I thought class was over." Zelda was behind him, giving the two girls nasty looks.  
  
"Er—sorry! I was just—Olivia and I were just talking about the end of school play," said Ada with a bright smile.  
  
Manfred glared an even darker look than before. Ada looked away quickly. Olivia giggled and picked up a mask. "We could always have a fairy running around, Manfred! You never know when those come in handy! Maybe Zelda could have her hand at it." Then, she grabbed Ada's hand and pulled her out of the theatre room.  
  
Ada was jerked down the hallway. "Ah! Ow! That hurts—"  
  
"Hush!"  
  
Olivia pulled Ada into an empty classroom and looked to her. "What is your gift?"  
  
"Gift?"  
  
"ISIDORE!"  
  
Manfred's tone was dangerous as he walked by the classroom. Ada was slinking behind Olivia in terror. When Olivia felt the coast was clear, she looked to Ada again. "What is your power? You're one of the endowed, right?"  
  
"I—I don't know what you're talking about," said Ada hurriedly.  
  
"Yes you do! My friends Charlie and Emma are endowed, what are you?"  
  
"ISIDORE!"  
  
Manfred was walking by again and Olivia clamped a hand on Ada's before she could make a noise. Manfred stopped in front of the door. Ada was positively trembling against Olivia.  
  
"Manfred, would you please come over here! I won't be waiting here forever for you, y'know!" Zelda's plea was more insistent than an actual plea. If she had a sledgehammer, she'd be applying it to Manfred's head.  
  
Manfred growled and walked off. Olivia sighed as she leaned against the wall. This was getting ridiculous. "Ada," Olivia hissed, "Please answer me. What is it you do? Why is it that Manfred wants you around all the time?"  
  
"Because I say things that I'm not supposed to," Ada said grimly. She sounded like a little kid, but she looked only slightly older than Olivia. "I…I know things."  
  
Olivia rolled her eyes. "All right. So you say things you're not supposed to."  
  
Ada nodded.  
  
"ISIDORE, COME OUT RIGHT NOW, OR I'LL NEVER SPEAK TO YOU AGAIN!" Manfred's voice could have been applied with a chainsaw in the hands of a serial killer madman.  
  
Ada ducked slightly and gave a sort of little curtsy to Olivia before she headed out of the darkened room. "Excuse moi," she said in a small voice before disappearing out in the hallway.  
  
Olivia grunted and slapped a hand on the wall. This was just perfect. She had nothing. The girl was terrified of Manfred.  
  
Emma was rubbing her fingers again, looking at the costume design she had to make for the end of year school play that the Drama department was putting on. She looked to Corazon at her desk, painting.  
  
"Now, I don't want to see anyone not doing something. There is always something to do; you just have to apply yourself!" Mr. MacGregor smiled brightly as he went around the room.  
  
He came over to Corazon and smiled brightly. "Very nice, Miss De La Cruz. Put a little orange into the mixture now and you'll get the skin tone perfectly. Not that much, careful! You'll end up looking like you've had too much beta carotene."  
  
Corazon looked up at him. "What?"  
  
"I meant that you'll look as though you've eaten too many carrots. If you eat too many, your skin turns slightly orange." Mr. MacGregor patted Corazon on the head and chuckled.  
  
Emma walked over and looked over Corazon's shoulder. She was doing a self portrait with tribal looking pictures of the sun in the border. "That looks nice, Corazon."  
  
Corazon's cheeks darkened. "Thank you."  
  
"Why are the suns in the corners?"  
  
Corazon's cheeks darkened a little more. "My—My mom likes the sun. She has them everywhere in the house. Even on the outside, clay sun disks set up everywhere, mirror suns on the walls, decorated plates; she has everything."  
  
"Where are you from?" Emma had been wondering that since she'd arrived and heard her name.  
  
"America… Texas, Florida—I lived in Florida for a while and then we moved to Texas—Then, we moved here. I like the sun and I miss it here." Corazon darkened the color of the skin tone on her portrait a little more and smiled. "I like to paint."  
  
"Corazon, can you help me please?" Dorcas was watching them intently. Emma gave a grunt and walked back to her work.  
  
Charlie got onto the blue school bus, not wearing his cloak. He was finally going home for the weekend. Fidelio sat down next to him and Morgan in front of them. She turned in her seat and smiled brightly. "Well, looks like a nice weekend. Want to go see a movie or something tomorrow?"  
  
Fidelio smiled. "I'd like that."  
  
Charlie nodded slightly. "All right."  
  
"We'll work out which movie, later. Also, Charlie, I'm going to need you to be the navigator, or I can get my dad to give us a lift." Morgan was firing off at the mouth rapidly, far faster than Charlie really wanted to listen to.  
  
"All right."  
  
Morgan giggled and turned in her seat. When they reached the stop he and Morgan got off, Charlie tried very hard to stay ahead of her, but she came up right behind him, her legs a bit longer and stronger than his. "Why the rush? Are you all right?"  
  
"I—I have something I need to do at home." Charlie just wanted away from Morgan. She was far too strange for him.  
  
"Aww—come on! I'm not that bad am I?"  
  
"Yes, you are. Why are you following me around?" Charlie grunted as he turned onto Filbert street.  
  
Morgan glared at him. "I only want to be your friend, you fool! You don't have to be so rude with me!" Then, she huffed off to number thirteen and slammed the door.  
  
Charlie sighed and got into number nine and was greeted by Aunt Eustacia and Aunt Venitia. They each grabbed an arm and pulled him into the sitting room where Aunt Lucretia and Grandma Bone were sitting. "What did I do now?!" Charlie growled.  
  
"Silence!" growled Grandma Bone.  
  
He knew it was too good to last. He stood silently, waiting for them to hurry up with his punishment so he could get some dinner and get some homework done so he could go to the movies the next day.  
  
"We hear you have some new friends," Aunt Venitia said with an eerie smile.  
  
"Yes, and why do they interest you?"  
  
"So tart with us! His blessed aunts!" Venitia had a hand on her chest melodramatically.  
  
"Stay away from that girl across the street there. That's an order." Grandma Bone wasn't one to mince words words, generally.  
  
"Charlie! Are you home?" Maisie came bustling into the room and hugged Charlie, pulling him out quickly. "I couldn't stop them. They seem very intent on something," she said hastily.  
  
Charlie nodded and welcomed the cookie that Maisie handed him. Grandma Bone walked into the kitchen and growled. "We're not through here!"  
  
"On the contrary, I think you are." Paton was in the doorway behind Grandma Bone. She gave a frightful stare to Paton before growling and walking out in a huff. Paton smiled at Charlie. "Are you all right? Nothing they did you, I hope."  
  
Charlie smiled and shook his head. "No." There was a slam of the front door and Charlie knew they had left. "No, they want me to stay away from the girl across the street."  
  
Paton looked thoughtfully at Charlie and then at the kitchen window. "I guess you should stay as close to her as possible then." 


	5. One Saturday Afternoon

A/N: hmmm, yeah, Charlie took a disliking to Morgan, but yeah,…. She's a bit bossy, that one. :: shrugs:: It'll even out eventually. Like me, you either love her or hate her when you meet her.  
  
Maybe I REALLY shouldn't listen to Nightwish when I write something like this. O.o  
  
Oh, Wonderland in the Caribbean is up now  
  
Chapter Five  
  
Charlie dreamed. He saw the camp fire in the middle of a forest and a solemn man sitting beside it, his skin the color of the earth and his clothes were brilliant red. Three animals came out at his call as he looked to Charlie with a joyful smile, the animals with spotted coats like gold, shimmering in the firelight.  
  
Charlie suddenly woke up and groaned. It was like the time he returned Skarpo to his portrait. Charlie looked to the window and sighed, getting to his feet. He had to apologize to Morgan so he could go with her to—  
  
He almost forgot again. He needed to visit the Pet's café to see Runner Bean. Charlie got dressed quickly and went down the stairs in time to see grandma Bone walking out of the kitchen. He grunted and gave her a glare.  
  
She barely acknowledged him and walked around him onto the staircase as though nothing was different. He got into the kitchen and he saw his mother nursing a headache with a cup of tea. "Mum? Is something the matter?"  
  
"Sorry, I woke up this morning with a dreadful headache. Like something was tied around my head and made to squeeze the life out of it." Mrs. Bone sighed as she rubbed her temples. "It seems to be going away for now. I need to be going, Charlie. Do be careful when you go over to your new friend's house. I helped mother make a couple of sandwiches for you both."  
  
Then, Mrs. Bone got unsteadily to her feet and walked out of the kitchen. Charlie looked to a bag and picked it up. Inside was a couple of ham sandwiches wrapped up in plastic. Charlie sighed himself and ate some fruit for breakfast, since there was none prepared.  
  
He looked to his watch just as he heard the doorbell ring. "If it's that wretched girl, get her away from here!" Grandma Bone's yelling came down the stairs and to the door with the potency of a nuclear bomb.  
  
Charlie went to the door and saw Fidelio standing on the door step with a grin. "I thought we were going to go to The Pet's Café so I brought my cat."  
  
Charlie blinked at his friend for a moment. "Er—okay."  
  
Fidelio shrugged. "You had said you'd kept forgetting to visit Runner Bean, so I thought we might do that. Better tell Morgan that she needs a pet to come along, though."  
  
Charlie blinked again and then nodded, closing the door behind him. He held the bag in his hand as they walked across the street to number Thirteen. Charlie knocked on the door and it opened, Mr. MacGregor clearly visible in front of them. He looked as though he could melt steel with his gaze alone.  
  
Then, his expression softened. He grinned broadly at Charlie and moved out of the way. "Come in, come in! I thought you were one of those blasted women that keep coming around here to talk to m'daughter."  
  
Charlie and Fidelio both looked up at Mr. MacGregor at that. "Women? What do they look like?"  
  
"They all pretty much look the same to me, only two are younger than the first. And one wears red shoes. And they all say they're from the school wanting to make sure m'daughter is settling into the school all right. I tells them—I tells them that m'daughter is perfectly capable of makin' friends on her own and keeping up with her schoolwork, but they all want to come in and make sure, as though if they didn't come inside, the world would fall on their heads."  
  
Mr. MacGregor sat at the kitchen table and started back on a drawing. Charlie gave Fidelio a worried look. There was a shuffling from the staircase and Morgan appeared on the steps, looking over the railing, messy blonde hair hanging around her head. "Dad! Was that those ladies again?"  
  
"No, lass, it's your friends come to take you away from me!" Mr. MacGregor laughed heartily as he appeared from the kitchen.  
  
Morgan went red and looked over to Fidelio and Charlie. "Oh! You have a cat!" Then, she stopped. "Er—wait—animals aren't allowed in the cinemas are they?"  
  
A black cat appeared around the corner, tall and very thin, like he hadn't eaten properly in a very long time, but he purred as he padded over toward Charlie. Fidellio looked to Morgan. "We're going to The Pet's Café, Morgan. You have to have a pet to get inside."  
  
"Oh! Then, I guess I'll take Gawain with me, then!" She jumped the rest of the way down and went to the kitchen. "Dad! I'll be going off then!"  
  
Mr. MacGregor chuckled as Morgan snatched up Gawain and pulled the two boys out of the house.  
  
"So where is this Pet's Café?" Morgan asked as they walked along the sidewalk. Gawain was purring away in her arms and gave Charlie a sort of cat-eyed glare.  
  
"It's a little hard to find, and a little small, but not too far away. You can just walk there," Fidelio said as he petted his own cat, who was eyeing Gawain with an unsettled look to her.  
  
"Sorry about being so nosey or bossy, Charlie," said Morgan with a slight smile. "I didn't know it bothered you."  
  
Charlie blinked at her. "Ah—sorry. I—I just have a bit on my mind."  
  
Fidelio grinned. "Ah—good—so we're all friends then. So what is this about women calling on you?"  
  
Morgan blushed slightly, Gawain's tail twitching as she wasn't petting him still. "Ah—they come and try to practically force their way in, saying they need to see me for one reason or another. The first time, m'dad asked if I'd done something bad at school, but of course I haven't! I've been very good—well—most of the time." She blushed a little more and her ears turned pink.  
  
Fidelio grinned. "You mean you picking back at Asa for his saying your hair was a rat's nest?"  
  
Morgan grunted and patted Gawain on the head. "He deserves everything he gets from me!" Then, she said something rude that included Asa doing things with a tree that Charlie didn't care to imagine or repeat.  
  
They walked to the Pet's Café and Charlie smiled at Norton. Norton nodded to Charlie. "Your pet is inside, Mr. Omnimous has told me."  
  
Charlie walked in and they all sat down amongst the other people and their pets. There were birds and mice, which Charlie caught Gawain eyeing rather hungrily.  
  
Mr. Omnimous was behind the counter as they entered and grinned. "Ah! Charlie, glad you could come by! After you have a little something, why don't you take Runner bean for a walk? He's missed you terribly."  
  
Charlie nodded and grinned as the big dog practically landed on top of Charlie, licking his face in greeting. Both Fidelio's cat and Gawain bristled at the dog.  
  
"Ah—so that's your friend's dog? He looks sweet!" giggled Morgan as she put Gawain onto her shoulders and leaned down to pull the dog off of Charlie by the collar and patted him on the head.  
  
Charlie grinned at Runner Bean and wiped his face with his sleeve. They got into their seats and Morgan gave Gawain a fish snack as Mr. Omnimous came over with a tray of drinks for them.  
  
Suddenly a squawking came from one of the birds. At the door, or rather, at the window, Asa Pike was standing looking in with a wolfish glare.  
  
Gawain yowled and jumped onto Morgan's shoulders, bristling at him as he stared directly at her. Charlie looked to Morgan as she looked to him. "What's he doing out there?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know." Charlie looked to Asa again and glared back as well as he could. He knew what that boy could be like when the sun went down and the thought still sent shivers down his spine.  
  
Norton pulled Asa away bodily, tossing him down the alley and yelling at him. "He'll be looking for us, don't doubt it." Fidelio was still looking to the window when he spoke.  
  
"Why was he here in the first place?" Charlie looked to Morgan and Fidelio and then settled back on Morgan.  
  
Morgan blushed and shrugged, hastily petting Gawain to settle him back down. "Why did you name him Gawain, anyway?" asked Charlie.  
  
"I like Camelot stories," she grinned.  
  
Fidelio chuckled and stood. They walked out with Runner Bean on a leash. In the park, walking around, they spotted someone following them with an obviously fake costume. Charlie handed Morgan her sandwich and handed Fidelio half of his.  
  
"It's Asa, no doubt." Fidelio was looking to the obvious figure hiding behind the fountain.  
  
Morgan looked to the fountain and the figure jumped; his mustache and hat falling off, revealing himself as Asa, though that wasn't a big surprise. "What are you doing here, Asa Pike!"  
  
Asa grunted and ran off. Charlie looked to Morgan. "What happened?"  
  
Morgan shrugged. "No clue. He just ran off."  
  
Charlie looked doubtfully at Morgan and then tugged Runner Bean's leash. "We'd better get back before it gets too late."  
  
"Time certainly flies when you're watching the school pet running around trying to disguise himself," Fidelio said with a smirk.  
  
"Pet?" Morgan blinked at Fidelio.  
  
Charlie looked to Morgan. "Asa turns into a beast at night. A real beast."  
  
Morgan looked thoughtfully at Gawain and patted his head, scratching him under the chin as he purred. "A beast?"  
  
"What's the matter?" asked Fidelio.  
  
"When I went to get Corazon back, I had to fight off some strange beast. Hit him on the nose with my flashlight." She looked to where Asa had been behind the fountain.  
  
"Yeah, I'd say that was him all right. He was the one that attacked Charlie during the Ruin game," said Fidelio.  
  
Morgan looked to Fidelio with confusion. Charlie and Fidelio explained about the ruin game and Morgan ended it all with a loud grunt. "That's horrible! It's unfair and dishonorable as hell!"  
  
"We never said the Bloors were fair," said Charlie.  
  
Morgan fumed as they walked back to Pet's café, letting Runner Bean get back inside behind the counter then they walked off. They went back toward the neighborhood when Gawain jumped down and ran off. Morgan gasped. "GAWAIN!" Then, she ran off after the cat.  
  
Charlie grunted at this, remembering what Uncle Paton had asked him to do. He ran off with Fidelio behind him. Gawain yowled and hissed at something just as Morgan stopped to wrestle him back into her arms.  
  
Something jumped out and tackled Morgan. Gawain clawed at it to stay away from her and she lashed out with her own nails and caught skin. The figure yelped and ran off, Gawain beginning to settle down as Morgan picked him up again.  
  
Charlie and Fidelio came over and stopped. They were in front of Morgan's house, beside the bushes, in fact. "Wha-what was that?"  
  
Morgan was beside herself. "I haven't a clue." She got to her feet and Gawain purred as he nuzzled her chin.  
  
"Whatever it was, it was waiting for you to get home," said Fidelio, pointing to the bushes. There was an area where someone had been waiting for a while.  
  
Charlie looked worriedly to Morgan. "Why does everyone want you, Morgan?"  
  
"I—don't know."  
  
Mr. MacGregor came out of the house looking even angrier than he had before. "Morgan! Get inside the house!"  
  
Morgan went white and bustled inside with Gawain in her arms. Charlie and Fidelio looked to Mr. MacGregor like he was going to eat them alive. However, Mr. MacGregor gave them a faint smile. "Thank you for lookin' after m'daughter, Mr. Bone and Mr. Gunn."  
  
"Why—what happened that made you so angry, Mr. MacGregor?" asked Charlie, starting to calm down.  
  
"One of those odd people stopped by; only this time I recognized him. He's that wolfish lad that prowls around with the pipsqueak Bloor boy. Manfred was his name. He came by with a stupid disguise and then disappeared. I'd thought he'd gone away by now."  
  
Mr. MacGregor was a big man, and by the look of him when he was angry, he looked like someone was about to be his lunch. Like an angry bear. Charlie could see why Asa would be afraid him…or anyone else for that matter.  
  
Mr. MacGregor smiled at the two boys broadly and patted Charlie on the back. "So, rescuin' m'daughter, lad! Planning on the wedding yet?"  
  
Fidelio nearly fell over laughing at the look of horror on Charlie's face. Mr. MacGregor chuckled and went inside the house.  
  
Fidelio got himself under control enough that he was able to wobble beside Charlie as Charlie shot him angry looks. A car was in front of number Nine and Charlie saw Fidelio's dad in it waving at them.  
  
Fidelio patted Charlie on the shoulder and grinned. "I'll see you at school, Charlie! Make sure I get the invitation to the wedding!" Then, he had to run to get away from Charlie. 


	6. The Idea

A/N: Okay, I've got to know. Where is it that it looks like Fidelio likes Morgan more than Olivia? o.O I've looked everywhere and I can't find anything. I'm confused.  
  
Anyway, so my friend Celia (Corazon) told me that I should make the who Charlie/Morgan thing a running gag, so you'll see more of that going around, cause I find it funny. XD  
  
And it seems I might make another fanfic after this one continuing this line of stuff, so when I finish this one, I'll be writing more. I'm right surprised I get so many comments not thirty minutes after I post up a new chapter. I didn't even get that with my HP fanfic and I got PLENTY with that lot.  
  
Must be because I'm one of a few CB fanfic writers on ….  
  
Maybe I should stop listening to a song that keeps screaming "We will kill you!" over and over again. O.o  
  
Chapter Six  
  
Charlie got up earlier than he had expected on Monday morning, the light of dawn just creeping into the sky. He yawned and looked under his bed to the wand. He picked it up and held it in his hands.  
  
He wondered what the ancestor was like that had used this wand before him. He wondered what sort of person he was that Skarpo respected him. Skarpo wasn't so bad, when he came to it. He had told him how to cure his uncle Paton. Vervain. That had helped him.  
  
Charlie bolted to his feet. VERVAIN. That was the thing to use on Emma! If that didn't help her then he didn't know what could. He'd have to do it on the next weekend break, but he would ask Mrs. Gunn to click some off from the plant he'd given her for him.  
  
Charlie looked out the window and saw the sky. It was practically cloudless. The sun would be coming up and blazing down on everyone.  
  
Charlie bolted out the door as fast as he could to the bus stop with his trunk in tow. When he reached it, he saw Morgan run up with a piece of toast clenched in her teeth and her own trunk behind her. Her cloak was on, while his was not.  
  
She swallowed a bit of the toast and smiled sleepily at Charlie. "That was fun, Charlie, Saturday I mean. I like your friends."  
  
Charlie nodded. "It was all right." He was still a little sore at her father for making that joke.  
  
The bus came and Morgan sat down somewhere toward the back while Charlie sat next to Fidelio. "I think I know what might help Emma," whispered Charlie to Fidelio.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Vervain. Remember when my Uncle was so sick his powers were even in jeopardy and we went to my Aunt Eustacia's garden and stole her vervain plant?"  
  
Fidelio couldn't forget. They nearly got caught and his own mother was hiding the plant for them. "We'll tell Emma during break."  
  
And so, after the first class, they had their daily run. Charlie ran out after Fidelio, his sleeves rolled up. The sun was beating down on them and he was having trouble seeing. He looked up in time to see Fidelio ram straight into Olivia.  
  
Olivia giggled. "Fido! That's not a nice way to greet a girl!"  
  
Fidelio blushed as he pulled off and helped Olivia up. Charlie smirked slightly. "Sorry, Olivia, I didn't see you. Sun is a bit bright, y'know."  
  
Emma came walking over, her hands bandaged horribly. "I don't—I don't know I even bother coming to school. They hurt so much and today they started bleeding," she sobbed.  
  
Charlie frowned at her hands. He'd have to help her as soon as they got back home for the weekend. They started the run and Charlie pulled them all into a secluded area. "I know what can help you, at least I hope," he said to Emma.  
  
Emma looked to him, wiping her eyes with the back of a bandaged hand. "Oh?"  
  
"Remember that vervain we stole from my Aunt's garden? It helped my uncle, I'm sure it can help you," Charlie said.  
  
Emma nodded and whimpered slightly at her hands. Olivia patted Emma on the shoulder before they went out back into the run.  
  
Charlie looked up at the sky somewhere around lunch time and saw the clouds were covering the sun now, the area much cooler than before. "We're having very odd weather lately. Sunny and bright and hot, then at the next turn, it's chilly and cloudy."  
  
Morgan nodded looking up at the window herself. Gabriel looked out and shrugged. "At least it's not like one of Tancred's tantrums out there."  
  
Charlie turned to his food and grunted. Fidelio looked over at his food and grinned. "Trade you the meat for the vegetables, Charlie." Charlie grinned and gave Fidelio the vegetables from his plate.  
  
Morgan looked to Gabriel. "So what is your power, eh?"  
  
Gabriel blushed slightly and looked uncomfortably at his food. Charlie explained him to Morgan in whispers so others wouldn't know about it and ask. Morgan nodded to Gabriel and smiled. "That's neat! Mine's a little weird, too."  
  
"What do you do?" Gabriel asked. Charlie and Fidelio snapped their heads in her direction as she blushed slightly.  
  
"I can project my hands and strength." She saw the confusion in their eyes and sighed. "Like—think of telekinesis. Now—imagine your own hands reaching out to grab something off the table. That's basically what I do. I can touch, grab, hit, pull or whatever using my hands as a projection to do so, though with my mind."  
  
Charlie looked to Fidelio and watched as a slow grin went across Fidelio's face. "So that means—"  
  
The bell rang for lunch to be over and Morgan got hastily to her feet and took her tray away. She got out of the room before Charlie or Fidelio could ask anything from her.  
  
She ran into something taller than her and looked up at two wolfish eyes. She blushed slightly and backed off, fixing Asa with a glare. "Sorry, Pike."  
  
"Watch where you're going, MacGregor," he snorted. He had the claw marks on his left cheek from her nails. She suddenly felt something like skin on her fingers and…scabs?  
  
Charlie came into the hall just in time to see both Asa and Morgan leap away from each other as though both were electrified. Fidelio grinned even more. "Looks as though she doesn't completely control when it happens," he said to Charlie, indicating both were very red in the face.  
  
"You stop DOING THAT!" Asa growled, obviously shaken.  
  
"I SAID I was SORRY! I didn't mean anything by it, you stupid prat!" she snarled back.  
  
Then, both grunted and stalked off in opposite directions. Charlie raised his eyebrows at Fidelio, who was grinning even more broadly. It was rather scary, actually.  
  
Billy Raven came over, smiling at Charlie slightly. "Oh—hello, Billy," Charlie said smiling back. "I hope things aren't too horrible having to stay here all the time."  
  
Billy shook his head. "It's not all that bad. Rembrandt I visit, of course, thanks to you and everyone else, and I found there's a girl that's staying here now as well. She's all right, I guess, when she's not staring off into space."  
  
Charlie looked to Billy carefully. "A girl?"  
  
"BONE! TO CLASS! NOW!"  
  
Manfred was in the hallway and from the looks of it, not entirely happy. Billy nodded to Charlie and waved. "Bye!" Then, he disappeared in the crowd.  
  
Charlie was then pulled along to class by Fidelio. French was as boring as it ever was; one step up from watching mold grow on the stone walls of the old castle ruins. When French was done, Charlie went to his next class, running into Corazon. She was shuffling to class with her long black hair swinging in her face as her head bowed slightly.  
  
"Corazon? Hello," Charlie said in hopes that she might respond. As it was, she looked like Emma when she was hypnotized.  
  
Corazon didn't even stop. She kept on, walking to class and disappearing around the corner. Charlie grunted and went on to his own class.  
  
Much later, he would take stock of what Billy had said. Was it Corazon that never went home, or was it Ada? He'd seen them both come off the buses that first day back last week. Maybe it was someone else, but he'd not seen anyone else that hadn't been there before.  
  
He sighed as he looked to his homework. There were only three new students and all three were really the age they were and all three were endowed. Which one would be the more dangerous to have loose?  
  
Corazon never gave an indication as to what her powers were and the same went with Ada, though she seemed even less likely than Corazon. Morgan was perfectly normal, although a little annoying, when he first met her and only now were the Bloors showing an interest in her.  
  
But the truth in Morgan was that she'd moved into the house across the street. He'd seen it and there was no way she could be in two places at once. Her power, he concluded, could be very dangerous indeed, but not so much so that the Bloors took immediate interest in her.  
  
"Bone. Homework. Now." Manfred's tone broke Charlie's thoughts and Charlie looked down at his paper, still thinking.  
  
Manfred. He was the key. Who did he spend the most time looking after? It would be Manfred's ability that would keep the girl locked away and hypnotized. He generally could be found corralling both girls, Corazon and Ada.  
  
"MacGregor—homework." Charlie looked up to see Morgan begrudgingly going back to the homework in front of her. Manfred, however, was watching with a maliciousness he didn't care to see directed at anyone.  
  
Emma wasn't there. She'd gone to the nurse to have something done to her hands to keep them from hurting so badly. That worried him even more. What if the vervain wouldn't help when it came to it? What if something happened to the plant itself? Too many things raced through his mind as he stared up at the Red King's picture. Already he could hear the faint swish of a cloak and some purring, loud and warm, making his heart feel less heavy. He looked into those eyes and saw them twinkle at him joyfully. Charlie delved deeper, smiling as he felt suddenly very warm and sure of everything. Everything would be all right.  
  
"BONE!" Charlie broke away sharply and looked to Manfred. Manfred's face was turning red and he looked like he might explode. Charlie hastily looked down at his homework and went to work, not wanting to end up some sort of vegetable from looking at Manfred too long.  
  
Charlie suddenly looked up as paper moved toward him. He looked around and picked up the paper, looking at it. There was a cartoon on it of Manfred's head on a platter. He looked up and saw Morgan smirking at him.  
  
He slid the paper nonchalantly under his homework, grinning at Morgan. She looked to Manfred and then lifted her hand slightly from another sheet of paper, sending it across the table as she stared at it, concentrating. Charlie looked to this one and grinned. It was Asa as a dog on all fours with a leash that was being held by a cartoon Manfred. On the side it said 'lap dog' and an arrow pointing to Asa.  
  
Charlie looked to Manfred and wrote 'lap beast' onto it and felt the paper move from his across the table into Morgan's hand. However, a hand slammed down on Morgan's hand. Asa Pike was glaring intently at Morgan and Charlie, but mostly Morgan before he picked up the paper and looked at it. A sick grin went across his face. "Manfred."  
  
Manfred grunted as he wrote on something. "You wouldn't call me your lap beast, would you?" Asa continued. Morgan was turning red and dug her nails into the table. Asa let out a growl and glared at her. Charlie swore he could see an unspoken war being declared between the two. However, he did notice something else. Asa's hand was clenched as though in pain and the cloth of his sleeve on his forearm was bunched as though someone had a grip on them.  
  
Manfred looked up and then snatched the paper from Asa. Morgan kept glaring directly at Asa and vice versa, neither moving nor speaking as Manfred glared at Charlie. "DETENTION! I'll make sure both of you end up with detention!" Then, he crumpled the paper and picked up his homework, walking out of the King's room.  
  
Nothing seemed to break between Morgan and Asa, however. Her knuckles were white as she dug her nails into the table more and the color drained from Asa's face more, a sick grin on his face as he clenched his fist and teeth at once. "G-getting better, MacGregor," he said finally.  
  
Morgan suddenly stood up and Asa slumped into a chair, cradling his arm. She picked up her things and walked out without a word. Asa panted as he glared at Charlie. "Get back to work. Just because Manfred isn't here doesn't mean you lot can slack off!"  
  
He pulled back his sleeve and hissed. Charlie looked up to see angry, red marks in his arm where nails had dug into his skin. 


	7. Into the Ring

A/N: And another chapter we go!  
  
Blah—I just talked to my friend Celia (Corazon) on the phone and I had said I felt sorry for the Olsen twins because of the one that's in rehab. The one left is alone, without her sister and left to worry for her health. I'd hate to have this happen to me, my best friend Andrea (Ada) gets hurt or she starts doing drugs or something and I would be left a very worried person. Celia said she didn't really feel sorry for any of the Celebrities because they are rich and do that stuff to themselves. (please note, that it does depend of the situation as to what is right to do or feel.)  
  
I really should have ripped into her for that. I don't care about the personal lives of celebrities because it's their personal life and I don't need to be constantly informed of it. But to not have sympathy, to dislike someone because they've got money is just downright wrong. If this had been true of everyone, I wouldn't have ended up being friends with Celia or Andrea because I grew up getting clothes from Goodwill or using hand-me-downs. I grew up near poor. My mom was turned down for WIC support because one of the Shriners gave me a very pretty and apparently expensive, dress to wear for formal occasions when I was four. Because I didn't LOOK poor, they turned my mom down for WIC support.  
  
Sympathy shouldn't be given to people who look like they deserve it because they're lower than you are or are at level with you. It should be given as a practice. Hope for an individual shouldn't be given because they're the same as you, it should be given as freely as it's been for the longest time. Whether you like someone or not should not depend on how much money they've got or if they managed to get into college without having to use scholarships or not; it should depend on who they are, not their image.  
  
Things of this matter really weigh on me day in and day out as about half my friends think like this. I hear them talk constantly and it's now beginning to give me a headache. I'm sorry I ranted on here and you had to read this, but I had to get it out somehow. Thank you for your time.  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
Olivia twirled in the latest of the outfits for the new play from the art department. All the other Drama girls were doing the same, trying out the new sets and whatnot, having fun with the make up. Olivia chose lime green as her new hair color and went with it in everything she played with.  
  
It wasn't until then that she saw Ada all alone in a corner of the room looking through the new script. She was chosen to play the little sister of one of the characters, since she was so quiet.  
  
Olivia walked over to Ada and held up a mask in front of her face as she leaned down to be directly in front of her. "BOO!"  
  
Ada jumped off her seat and landed on the floor. When she saw it was Olivia, she giggled and got back up. Olivia grinned. "Why are you just sitting there? Wouldn't you rather join us in putting up the new costumes?"  
  
Ada shook her head and smiled. "No.. That's all right. I am only looking through the script for my parts."  
  
Olivia giggled. "You're so strange, Ada. Why are you so quiet all the time?"  
  
Ada looked away and blushed. "It—it's just that I—I have no one to really talk to. Especially when I'm here all alone."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Ada looked frightened now. "It's—it's NOTHING!" She got to her feet and ran out of the room. Olivia frowned. That rarely happened, her frowning, but when she did, it was for a valid reason, or she was acting, which she wasn't.  
  
When class let out, she sought out Fidelio. In the hallway, she found him with Charlie, though Charlie looked like he was about to die. "Hi Fido! Hey, Charlie!"  
  
"Charlie seems to have detention now with Morgan," said Fidelio with a slight smile.  
  
"Really? Why is that? How did you get it this time around?" Olivia was watching Charlie carefully. He needed a pick-me-up.  
  
Charlie relayed the previous night's events ruefully. Even the part where Charlie saw the nail holes in Asa's arm. They stopped, however when the sound of an argument could be heard in the hallway.  
  
Asa Pike and Morgan MacGregor, two complete opposites, were once again engaged in battle. Both were growling, both were glaring and both were red in the face. "You stupid little twit! How dare you use your powers against me!" snarled Asa.  
  
Morgan brought a fist up slowly. "You ratted me out, you stupid prat! YOU THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY and you STILL RATTED ME OUT!"  
  
Asa looked to her fist and paled slightly, not wanting another round of whatever she could do. That was the problem with his power; he couldn't hurt someone until the moon rose. "It's my job!"  
  
"You really ARE a BLOOR LAPDOG! Just give you a little treat and you'll do anything they tell you!"  
  
Charlie wondered who would attack who now. Asa looked even more like he was going to tackle Morgan, but Morgan still had her fist raised, as though she had something in it.  
  
"PIKE! MACGREGOR!"  
  
Everyone turned to see Manfred in the hallway, dark and brooding as ever. Everyone moved out of the way of the boy. Asa and Morgan turned away sharply from each other and glared at Manfred. "YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!" they both snarled in unison.  
  
Manfred looked on at them in surprise and then turned red, eyes as angry as ever. Charlie would have run away at a gaze like that. "PIKE!" Then, he grabbed Asa by the collar and tugged him along, almost kicking and screaming until they went into another hallway and disappeared.  
  
Emma came running over and hugged Charlie. Charlie patted her shoulder and looked in a bewildered fashion at her. "What happened?"  
  
"Asa caught up with Morgan and started a fight with her because of the abuse he'd been getting from her. You know." She motioned with her hands the sorts of things Morgan had been doing and Charlie nodded while Olivia giggled.  
  
"We've been hearing about it from her whenever she rants before bed," Olivia said with a wide grin.  
  
Charlie shrugged. Fidelio had a small smirk on his face. "Oi!" Lysander and Tancred came jogging over. "Did you see that? They BOTH turned on him!" laughed Lysander.  
  
Tancred grinned. "It was a fair sight, that."  
  
Charlie grinned. Maybe if the pair continued to snarl at each other, Manfred would be left with one less on his side. The thought was almost too good to be true.  
  
During break the next day, Charlie found Emma in the field with everyone else. He jogged over with a smile. "Morning, Emma," he said.  
  
Her hands were bandaged worse than ever, completely covering her hands and not just the fingers. Her eyes were red from unshed tears of pain as she walked solemnly along side Olivia and Fidelio.  
  
"She woke up this morning with bleeding hands. They looked awful!" Olivia gave a sympathetic pat on Emma's shoulder and Charlie groaned inwardly.  
  
Emma knew about his getting detention because she saw it, but that didn't help the guilt burning in his stomach. "We can get the vervain Sunday, all right, Emma? Fidelio, do you think we could come over for a little bit to retrieve some vervain for Emma's hands?" Charlie looked plaintively toward his friend.  
  
Fidelio grinned broadly. "Of course! My mum will be there, dad will be out and my brothers and sisters will be out or practicing in their rooms."  
  
"Thank you," Emma said with a small sniff. "I'll be in the infirmary. I need to get some more of that solution for my hands." Then, she shuffled off.  
  
"Solution? I wonder what sort of solution," said Charlie watching Emma walk off.  
  
"It might be some sort of disinfectant, or something," said Fidelio, "Or something to dull the pain."  
  
There was a rumbling overhead. The sky opened up and torrential winds and rain pattered down. "What—What is going on?" gasped Olivia as she covered her head with her arms.  
  
"It's only us! Look!" Fidelio pointed to the sky and Charlie found that there was only one small blackened cloud over the field and forest. The rest of the sky was fairly clear.  
  
Gabriel came running over. "It's Tancred! We better go calm him down! I can't find Lysander!"  
  
They ran toward the center of the cloud, which didn't take long. Tancred was standing stock still as he was shouting at Asa Pike. "YOU LEAVE THAT GIRL ALONE!"  
  
Charlie caught sight of the sick grin on Asa's face as winds whipped around him and saw him falter back a few paces. "We found a solution to you, Torrson! CORAZON!"  
  
Corazon walked in front of Tancred and he faltered back a step himself. She looked like one of those zombies from the cinema. Suddenly, Charlie noticed the rain and winds dying down, but Tancred looked as though he was concentrating very hard on it all.  
  
Water sizzled as it fell near Corazon. A patch of sunlight came out and lit up the area around Corazon, which was getting wider by the minute. Winds blew her hair around and Charlie started running over again. He was stopped by Manfred glaring down at him. "And just what do you think you are doing, Bone?"  
  
"None of your business!" Charlie growled as he went around Manfred. He was caught by the cloak and pulled back. "Let me go!"  
  
Tancred stood, watching helplessly as the little storm he'd created dissipated without his say so. Lysande finally ran over and tugged on Tancred's arm. "Come on!"  
  
Tancred moved like his strings were cut. He was tugged out of the field and back into the school just as the hunting horn sounded. Manfred let Charlie go and walked over to Corazon, patting her shoulder. "Very good, De La Cruz. Very good."  
  
Charlie was tugged back to the school with the image of Corazon looking at everything like she was lost. Fidelio had both Olivia and Charlie in tow as they entered the school.  
  
Later, Charlie found Gabriel and asked him what had happened, or if he even knew. "No—I don't. I recognized the storm as one of Tancred's tantrums, but that is it. Did you hear anything of what they were yelling at each other?"  
  
Charlie told him about what Tancred said and Asa's solution. Gabriel frowned. "Corazon is apparently a weather changer as well. Meaning she would be rather valuable to the Bloors side if they had her in their little circle."  
  
"Well, then that solves why she's so out of it half the time. It's harder to keep an endowed hypnotized for long. You have to constantly keep them in sight for when they break it," Charlie said as he thought. It was like Emma and Mr. Sparks. Emma was easier to keep a hold of, but Mr. Sparks started getting out of it after a little while, especially when they pulled him out of the burning remnants of Aunt Venitia's house.  
  
Tancred came into sight with Lysander. Tancred looked as stormy as ever, his yellow hair sparking as it stood straight up. They filtered into the King's Room and found Corazon next to Manfred, smiling faintly.  
  
Tancred went red in his ears and he sat down near the door at the end of the table. Emma was missing. Morgan came running in after Charlie seated and ended up sitting across from Asa. She grimaced visibly and pulled out her homework.  
  
Charlie could hear the boxing match commentary as he watched the two.  
  
'And they stare at each other; it's a face off between Morgan "Rock Tosser" MacGregor and Asa "The Beast" Pike. Who will win this battle, no one may know. They're starting off slowly, watching, sizing up the other aaaaand THE BEAST MAKES A JAB!'  
  
"What what you are doing with that pencil, MacGregor," Asa said with a grunt. Apparently, Morgan had accidentally sent a pencil flying at Asa when she cracked her knuckles. Morgan grunted as she glared at Asa, but went back to her work, apparently, trying to keep her cool.  
  
'And Rock Tosser is keeping her control of the situation. Ladies and gentleman, this may be a long battle. The Beast prances around MacGregor like she's nothing. He's jeering and jabbing at her, but nothing is breaking her concentration. Aaaaaaaaaand HE GOES IN FOR ANOTHER SHOT!'  
  
"Stop using your endowment against me, MacGregor. I know you like me, but that isn't the way to get to MY heart." Asa grinned as he held another pencil in his hand. He'd caught it when she had tapped hers on Ada's and flipped it at him.  
  
'He's got her riled! She's losing her cool!'  
  
"Why don't you get stuffed, Asa!" Morgan growled at Asa with as much venom as she had blood rising to her cheeks.  
  
"Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of me?" Asa gave a horrible snort and Zelda and Dorcas giggled at once.  
  
'HE'S GOING IN FOR THE KILL! LOOK AT HIM!'  
  
"Just you watch when you go outside, MacGregor. No matter where you go, I'm going to be there and you won't like that when night time comes." Asa grinned wolfishly at her, yellow eyes glinting with malice. Manfred was watching at the end of the table with an evil smirk on his smug face.  
  
"Guess I'll have to have my defenses up, then," Morgan growled. Her nails dug into the table and Asa went pale, his teeth clenched as though in pain.  
  
'SHE'S GOT HIM BY THE SHORT HAIRS! Ladies and gentlemen, this fight might be over now!'  
  
An animalistic growl came from Asa's throat. Morgan gasped and released him. Charlie watched as he sagged slightly, rubbing his knuckles where red marks could be seen.  
  
'Looks as though the Beast is using his special moves!'  
  
Asa glared angrily at Morgan, standing up slowly, his hands on the table. Morgan grunted and stood herself, glaring at him in a similar manner. Manfred sat up slightly, looking as though he was about to say something.  
  
Zelda giggled and sent a pencil box flying at Morgan's head. Morgan went sideways as it connected, pencils scattering over the table.  
  
'And the referee isn't counting that move. As you know, a shot to the head made from an outside source is illegal in this game.'  
  
"Zelda!" Manfred glared at Zelda and she stopped giggling and started glaring at him.  
  
Asa chuckled in that horrible fashion that included as much of his joy of watching Morgan hurt as possible. However, Morgan got to her feet, rubbing the side of her head slightly before the pencil box rose up, her hand looking like it was gripping something in it, but it was empty. Asa went a little pale at that. Manfred stepped up. "That's enough MacGregor."  
  
'The referee is being ignored! MacGregor is sending in her best moves at The Beast! Who knew that The Beast could move so quickly?'  
  
Asa dodged the pencil box and a few pencils flew at him. Morgan clenched her fists and a cry came from under the table as Asa gripped his ankle. "MACGREGOR! STOP THIS INSTANT!"  
  
Manfred pulled Morgan bodily away from the table and into the hallway. Charlie watched as she blinked at them all in surprise and then growled, shoving at Manfred. "Get away from me!"  
  
The door closed and Charlie could hear the cheers die down inside the boxing match commentary. He held his breath as he heard nothing coming from the other side of the door. Asa got back onto his feet, still rubbing his ankle with a sour look on his face.  
  
Dorcas scooted over and patted Asa on the shoulder, but he only shoved her off like she was nothing. There was a shout and the door opened; Morgan walked in with a look like she had a slight headache. Manfred, however, looked as though he was going to throw her across the room.  
  
She walked around the other side of the table and stood in front of Asa. Was there going to another fight?  
  
Asa stood and grunted as he glared down at Morgan. "So what is it now, MacGregor?"  
  
Charlie watched in horror as Morgan leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Asa's waist. "I'm sorry I tried to hurt you." Then, she pulled away and went around the table, picked up her things calmly and walked out.  
  
Asa stood there, staring at the door, with a look of pure horror on his face. He looked over to Manfred and nearly shouted at him, "Wh-what was that?!"  
  
"I only said to her that she needed to apologize or I would give her the next two weekends detention," Manfred said with a shrug, though he looked a little like Asa looked.  
  
Charlie raised his eyebrows at Lysander, Tancred and Gabriel, who all looked like they were either going to be sick or were fighting the urge to burst with laughter. Tancred was the one who looked sick. Gabriel and Lysander were biting their fists and sniggering softly. Charlie smirked.  
  
'Another point scored for the good guys, this day!' 


	8. The Song

A/N: okay, I have a CB site for ya'll to look at.  
  
I have been going nonstop with making that site for three days. Be proud of me. There's the story on there as well as pictures I have done. Enjoy yourself or I'll come after you with a bananna and whack you with it.  
  
And to someone, who I've forgotten who they are, who asked if they could use MY idea for a ball at the school, you've got the wrong person. There's another that has a story called Charlie Bone and the Hypnotist's Daughter that has a school ball in it. Go ask them. ;;  
  
As for the little song in this, I'm gonna see if I can't post myself singing it for ya'll to hear. It won't be that good, as I can't get a good cooperation between speaker and microphone to be able to sing on key. I wrote the thing before I even went searching for a good tune! I'm so strange. Anyway, I'm gonna see if I can't put up the song on my CB site eventually.  
  
and MS Word hates me. It took out the link when I put it into a txt file.  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
Friday came and Charlie watched as the other boys got ready to go home for the weekend. Only Billy Raven was not getting ready, as he had to stay there. "At least I won't be all alone in here for the night," he said with a faint smile. His big red eyes were magnified by his glasses.  
  
Charlie nodded and smiled as well. "Sorry about all that."  
  
Billy shrugged. "At least I have Rembrandt."  
  
"Let's just hope Cook can keep the Bloors away from Rembrandt. Otherwise—"  
  
"Otherwise, Rembrandt would be rat stew," said Fidelio. Billy looked very sad at that.  
  
In the King's room, it was nearly silent. Morgan, Charlie and Billy sat around the table doing their homework as Manfred and Asa wrote on sheets of paper. It took Charlie a moment to realize that they were passing each other notes, doing it in such a fashion as to not look like they were breaking their own rules.  
  
Charlie nudged Morgan and pointed his pencil to Asa and Manfred. She squinted as she looked down the table. She moved her pencil on her paper in mimicking moves in an attempt to see if she couldn't write out the same thing they were writing. She sagged slightly when she saw it only made circles on her paper.  
  
"Do your homework, MacGregor," said Manfred in a stern tone.  
  
"I am, in case you didn't notice," she said indignantly.  
  
Asa gave a horrible snort. Manfred glared at her, fixing her with a very unreadable expression. Charlie knew that look. He nudged Morgan again and she nearly fell out of her seat. She shook her head and rubbed a temple.  
  
Charlie wrote 'Never look at his eyes!' on a sheet of paper and showed it to her. She grunted and nodded. Billy looked apprehensively to Charlie and Morgan and then down the table to Manfred and Asa.  
  
When time to leave came, Charlie walked out with Billy and tugged on Morgan's cloak for her to come along to, however someone else pulled her back. "MacGregor, we need to have a little talk."  
  
Charlie looked back to see Asa and Manfred holding Morgan back. They pulled her into the King's room and Charlie walked back to the door. Billy came up behind him, listening at the door as well. "I hope she'll be all right," Billy whispered.  
  
There wasn't much happening inside that he could hear, but he did hear a bit of muttering. It was Morgan muttering her ABCs backwards. Charlie furrowed his eyebrows as he heard her.  
  
"Z y x w… v u t…."  
  
"Stop fighting me, MacGregor!" snarled Manfred.  
  
"S r…q…p o n m l…" She sounded strained, as though it was taking everything she had to do even that small task.  
  
There was a slight animalistic growl that Charlie knew was Asa. Charlie tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. "Morgan!" he called out.  
  
"K…j…" Her voice was quavering now.  
  
"STOP FIGHTING ME!" growled Manfred.  
  
There was another growl and a yelp of pain from Asa. "Gah!" Charlie kicked the door and finally managed to open it. He ran inside. What he saw, he wouldn't have believed. Asa was holding onto his arms as he landed on the floor, pain shooting up his arms. Manfred was in a fierce staring contest with Morgan and she looked like she might lose it.  
  
Manfred growled as he released Morgan and glared at Charlie. "OUT! OUT, ALL OF YOU!"  
  
Charlie grabbed Morgan and pulled her out of the room, Asa panting on the ground watching her leave. Billy came up in front of them as Charlie came around the corner. "Are you all right, Morgan?" he asked. Charlie looked to Billy and then to Morgan, hoping that she wasn't hypnotized or had any other problems. Paton would be furious with him if she got hurt and he didn't want to think of what Mr. MacGregor would do to him.  
  
Morgan was panting, sweat on her flushed face. She nodded and looked to Billy and Charlie as she pulled herself into a straighter position. "Thanks."  
  
Charlie smirked. Then, he looked to the door to the King's Room. "What happened in there? What were you doing to Asa and why was Manfred trying to hypnotize you?"  
  
Morgan wiped her face on her sleeve before she looked to the King's Room. "Asa was trying to frighten me by turning into a beast and so I—I didn't know what else to do. I just held onto him as hard as I could. I didn't care what part of him, so long as I had a hold on him. Manfred—He said he wanted me quiet and to make sure I'd stay that way—"  
  
She stopped and Charlie looked to Billy. Charlie pulled Morgan along the corridor until they reached the staircase that led up to the Junior Girls' dorm. Then, Charlie walked with Billy back to the boys' dorm.  
  
Charlie sat on his bed and stared out the window. Billy sat on his bed staring over at Charlie. "Charlie…"  
  
Charlie looked over, but then they both stopped as both heard the faint sound of a girl singing. It was severely off key, but she was singing no less. It was definitely not Morgan, since the girls' dorm was farther away than this. It sounded as though it was coming from directly above them.  
  
Charlie got to his feet and moved around the near empty dorm room. "Where is that coming from?"  
  
Billy looked up. "That's the girl that stays here too."  
  
Charlie looked to Billy. "She's here all the time, like you?"  
  
Billy nodded. "Since the second part of term started. Not the night before, but after that."  
  
Charlie looked to the ceiling and listened. "What is she singing? It sounds almost familiar."  
  
Billy shrugged. "I don't know. It's… not all that good, her singing, but it's at least better than complete silence."  
  
Charlie nodded and went to his bed. He got dressed in his pajamas as The Matron, Aunt Lucretia, came around and turned off the lights. "Go to sleep!" she called before she could be heard going down the stairs.  
  
Charlie lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. The singing had stopped. He was happy for that. It wasn't so much that is was bad as it was now very stuck in his mind and he couldn't jog it.  
  
"Whisper in the woods, he comes down the trail—always searching, always waiting—red and gold the leaves are, the wind singing through the leaves—red, the tree bleeds—for those he left behind."  
  
He heard it starting up again. It didn't even rhyme like a normal song, but it was poetic no less. He sat up and looked to the ceiling. He wondered, silently, where she could be located that was above the boys dorm.  
  
"Five took the castle, five left behind—the story lives on, the story never ends—in the woods you see him, in the woods you feel him—red and gold the leaves are, the wind singing through the leaves—red, the tree bleeds—for those he left behind."  
  
Charlie attempted putting a pillow over his head to block it out. This worked; either that or she'd stopped singing again. Either way, he finally managed to get to sleep.  
  
Morning came and he had breakfast with Billy and Morgan. Billy looked despondently at the food. Charlie knew what was wrong. "I'll see you on Monday, you know."  
  
When time to leave came, Charlie told Billy to see if he couldn't talk to the girl above the boys' dorm. Then, Charlie came out to see Morgan waiting for him. "Oi! My dad asked if you would like a lift home!"  
  
Charlie blinked for a moment and saw Mr. MacGregor grinning as he walked down the path toward them. Charlie nodded and walked with Morgan and Mr. MacGregor to his car.  
  
It wasn't so bad, but Charlie was surprised that Mr. MacGregor had on some of the latest music on the speakers. Morgan was giggling and singing along in the front seat. Mr. MacGregor grinned and winked at Charlie from the windshield mirror.  
  
At Filbert street, Charlie was let off in front of his house and he got inside, just in time to meet Grandma Bone. "Got in trouble again, did you? You keep this up, Charlie and you'll see what becomes of those that don't follow the rules."  
  
Charlie grumbled and went up to his room.  
  
Sunday came quickly. The phone rang and Charlie raced down the steps to get to it, but it was answered by Grandma Bone. "Hello? Who is this. What do you want."  
  
They weren't even questions, more like demands. Charlie came into view and Grandma Bone narrowed her eyes at him. She handed the phone over and stalked off up the stairs to her room, slamming the door and knocking the picture of her family off the wall.  
  
Charlie groaned and put the phone to his ear. "Hello?"  
  
"Charlie! It's Fidelio! My mum said everyone could come over. I'll see if I can't get a lift from her to your house and back."  
  
Charlie smiled. They were going to help Emma. "So when are you coming?" Charlie asked.  
  
"In a little bit. Not long. My mum has been having fun taking care of that plant."  
  
Charlie looked up to the stairwell. He hoped Grandma Bone wasn't trying to listen in on one of the other phones. "So I'll see you when you get here." Then, he hung up.  
  
Charlie went up the stairs to Uncle Paton's room, knocking on the door. "Come in."  
  
Charlie walked in and around the mess as usual, sticking his hands in his pockets after he closed the door. "What is it, Charlie?"  
  
Paton was reading and taking notes as usual. "Can you tell me if there were any songs or….poetry… about the Red King?"  
  
Paton looked up, eyebrows furrowed. "Songs? Not that I know of. There probably are, but I wouldn't know. Why do you ask, Charlie?"  
  
Charlie sat down after clearing himself a spot. "Well, there was someone singing above the junior boys' dorm and I thought I recognized it, but I can't place it."  
  
Paton raised his eyebrows. "I'll look into it then. There are many things about the Red King in stories and books, but I've never heard a song about him. I wouldn't put it past minstrels to write something, though."  
  
Charlie nodded. He could just barely remember some of the song. "It said something about red leaves and bleeding."  
  
Paton smirked. "Then, it's probably something off the radio."  
  
Charlie shook his head. "I—I just can't remember it all."  
  
They sat in silence for a moment as Charlie tried to come up with the song. "Can you hum it?" asked Paton.  
  
Charlie looked to Paton for a moment and then nodded slightly. "Some of it. I can't remember the entire tune either."  
  
Charlie thought for a moment then started humming bits of what he could remember. It was pretty horrible. Charlie could feel his ears getting red. Paton sat back and narrowed his eyes. "I've never…heard that before. And you say this was being sung over the boys' dorm?"  
  
Charlie nodded. Paton looked to the book in front of him, dark eyes staring at the paper. "I'll look into it. In the mean time, see if you can't remember all of that tune. It might help."  
  
Charlie nodded and walked out of Paton's room and down the stairs to wait for Fidelio. He heard something click in Grandma Bone's room and stopped mid step on the stairs. When he heard nothing more, he went back down the stairs and into the kitchen where Maisie was reading the paper. 


	9. When things go wrong

A/N: Okay…. MSWord hates me. So if you didn't look at chapter eight again, the URL for The Ruins is NOW in my profile as well as right here.  
  
There you go.  
  
I find it amusing that I've got eight chapters up and 21 reviews. I never got that many when I was posting up HP-AK faniverse; HP, AK and the Phoenix Order Times, The Soul Reaver's Light and Omega Time. XD I'm happy. XD  
  
Meanwhile, I am listening to the soundtrack for The Village while I type this. XD I got it from Celia and put it onto my computer so I may listen and drool while I try to imagine what happens in the movie. TT I wanna see that movie.  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
Charlie sat in the kitchen for a long time. Fidelio's mother hadn't shown up yet and it was getting rather late in the day. What was happening? Why had Fidelio and his mother not shown up?  
  
Charlie got to his feet and paced the area in front of the door. He looked up the stairs a moment, thinking about that click he'd heard in his Grandma Bone's room. Had that been the sound of the receiver of her phone hitting the base?  
  
Too many possibilities.  
  
He wouldn't have put it past his Grandma Bone to call on one of her horrible sisters to cause trouble. Had she figured out what he was going to do? Had the Bloors already told her that Emma was getting worse and they were causing it?  
  
He picked up his button up shirt and pulled it on over his T-shirt, heading for the door. He needed to get to Fidelio's house. It wasn't THAT far of a walk. He would have to keep an eye out for one of his horrible aunts trying to stop him. Or keep an eye out for Manfred or Asa.  
  
He went to the door and opened it and nearly threw himself back to avoid being "knocked" by Fidelio. He was panting as if he'd been running. "Charlie! Charlie, you have to hurry. Come on!" he gasped.  
  
Charlie ran out the door and jogged alongside Fidelio for a while before they had to walk so Fidelio could get his breath back. "What happened, Fidelio? Why are you so late and why did you run here?"  
  
"It's your aunts. They keep showing up, one right after the other whenever my mum tries to go out the door. They come up and ask if they can barrow something, or see me, or do something else. I ran out the back so I could get past them and get to you before it was too late. Emma and Olivia are over there already."  
  
Walking along the street, Charlie looked about; making sure no one was following them. He thought he caught a glimpse of someone behind them that looked like Aunt Venitia or Asa, but they were gone when he took a good look.  
  
"I think Grandma Bone told them while I was telling Uncle Paton something. I thought I heard a click in her room… like a phone," said Charlie.  
  
Fidelio grunted. Charlie looked behind them again. "Asa's following us."  
  
"They don't want Emma to get better," Fidelio said.  
  
"That must mean the nurse that has been taking care of Emma wasn't making her get any better. They were making her get worse." Charlie looked grimly at the coming street, Fidelio's street. "Which means we've got to hurry and get it over with before anything else can happen to her."  
  
They started running again, heading into the runoff ditch behind the row of houses. They would have to come in from behind to avoid the Aunts further. Asa was still behind them, though he wasn't disguised in his usual costume. He was wearing a hat and glasses with a nerdy looking set of clothes that included, of all things, a pocket protector. If he had buck teeth and breathing troubles, Charlie wouldn't have been surprised.  
  
Charlie helped Fidelio over the fence and jumped up himself. Once inside the backyard, they caught sight of Emma and Olivia, hiding behind a chair. There was Aunt Eustatia at the door and Fidelio's mother was trying to make her go away. Olivia put a finger to her lips to Fidelio and Charlie and hunkered down even more.  
  
Fidelio looked to Charlie and they hid on opposite sides of the backdoor, away from the windows so that they wouldn't be seen. They couldn't hear what was happening inside, but Olivia and Emma could.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you into my garden, Madam. If I find what you're looking for in there, you'll be the first to know. Good day," Mrs. Gunn said in a singing tone, although it was beginning to sound a bit strained. Then, she shut the door.  
  
Olivia ran to the backdoor and opened it. "Get inside! Hurry! They could be anywhere!"  
  
Fidelio and Charlie hurried inside and found Mrs. Gunn helping up Emma. "I do not know what is going on, but I will say that it is quite adventurous."  
  
Emma's hands were still bandaged up. Charlie looked at them. "Mrs. Gunn, do you have that plant I gave you still?"  
  
"The herb? Of course, Charlie, it's in the kitchen. I've boiled some water for tea if you children would like any." Then, Mrs. Gunn went into the kitchen. Charlie trotted after her.  
  
She handed him some of the vervain that she'd cut off and smiled. "I chopped up some myself and put it into a bowl for her hands, Charlie. And here is some tea for dear Emma, as well. Fidelio told me that was what you wanted."  
  
Charlie grinned. "Thank you, Mrs. Gunn." Then, he took the bowl and tea out for Emma. MRs. Gunn came out with a normal teapot of regular tea for the others as Charlie set the tea cup of vervain in front of Emma.  
  
She tried to reach for it, but her hands ached suddenly. "Ah… I can't pick it up."  
  
Charlie nodded. "Put your hands into the bowl, Emma. Don't move them out of it for a while."  
  
Emma did as he asked and smiled at him. "They don't hurt anymore. It feels good. Thank you, Charlie."  
  
Olivia picked up Emma's tea cup and helped her drink it while her hands soaked. Charlie sat and watched, listening for the door. There was a heaviness to the air, as though if he were to speak now, it would break some sort of spell. It was the same feeling as when Paton was taking the vervain for himself. The heaviness was blanketing, making him feel tired suddenly, though not so much as last time.  
  
The sound of the house quieted down, dimming as they sat there and watched. Then, it went quiet altogether.  
  
Charlie sat up and breathed in heavily. He looked around blearily, blinking his eyes a few times to orient himself. Emma was next to him and pulling the bandages off her hands in the water. She bit her lip as she worked and rubbed her fingers as the cloth came off.  
  
"Emma?" he asked.  
  
"I think it's worked. There are a few cracks still, but they don't hurt anymore."  
  
Charlie looked to Fidelio, who was looking very much like Charlie felt; like they just woke up from a nap. Olivia lifted her head and looked to Emma. "What's going on?"  
  
"It's like what happened when Uncle Paton did this. We fell asleep downstairs and when he came down, he was all better. He was more than better, he looked as though he'd be able to blackout the neighborhood," said Charlie.  
  
Mrs. Gunn walked in looking cheerfully at them. "Have a nice nap?"  
  
They looked to each other. Emma flexed her hands and white feathers sprouted from them. The cracks healed up in the water and the feathers spread over her arms. In seconds, she turned into a large white bird. She looked wonderful!  
  
Charlie stared up at her as she shrank down to a smaller bird and flapped out the window. Olivia laughed and Fidelio grinned as they all went to the window and watched the white hawk dart around in the darkened sky.  
  
There was a howl. It was nearing nighttime and Charlie was still at The Gunn house. Asa was still out there and waiting for them. Nighttime was when Asa was dangerous.  
  
"I have to get back or Grandma Bone will KNOW what we did, if she doesn't already," said Charlie. He took the bowl and the tea cups into the kitchen and smiled at Mrs. Gunn. "Thank you, Mrs. Gunn."  
  
"Anytime, Charlie. You and all of Fidelio's friends are welcome here." Then, she went about making dinner, stifling a yawn.  
  
Charlie looked to her. "Did you have a nap as well?"  
  
Mrs. Gunn smiled. "Yes… it was nice, wasn't it? You had better find your friend Emma. It's awfully late."  
  
Emma came back inside and giggled as she flexed her hands. Charlie trotted over to her and grabbed her wrist. "We need to get home."  
  
Olivia giggled. "I can get you both a ride home, if you would like."  
  
Charlie smiled at Olivia gratefully. "Yes, that would be very nice."  
  
He heard a knock on the door. It wasn't an urgent knock or one of great importance. It was just a knock on the door.  
  
Mrs. Gunn went to the door and opened it. "Oh—hello."  
  
There was silence. Charlie couldn't see past Mrs. Gunn to see who was at the door. "Is there something you want? Are you one of Fidelio's friends?"  
  
Silence again.  
  
Charlie was getting worried. He pulled Emma away from sight and leaned out to see who was at the door.  
  
"I'm sorry, but if you don't say anything, I can't help you," said Mrs. Gunn.  
  
Suddenly, there was a crash and Mrs. Gunn landed on the floor. Charlie looked to the door and his eyes went wide. It was Morgan. Her eyes had a faraway look to them, unfocused and dead as they rolled over toward him.  
  
She walked in, her head bowed slightly as she walked over Mrs. Gunn's unconscious body. How did they manage to hypnotize her!  
  
She lifted her hands and held them in the air, flexing her fingers as though gripping onto something. Charlie had dodge out of the way, holding Emma to him. A heavy set of shelves fell down, books falling off of it.  
  
"We have to get out of here!" Charlie called.  
  
Emma ran at Morgan, and tackled her to the ground. Then, she shot off of her and ran out into the yard. Charlie ran over to Morgan and stopped suddenly as pain shot through his leg. He felt nails digging into his skin, but Morgan was still a little ways away from him. This is what Asa felt every time she held him like this.  
  
He groaned and tried desperately to get away, but he fell to the ground, clutching his leg. It felt as though she was trying to rip his skin off!  
  
There was a screech from above and a large fiery looking bird came down and picked Morgan up. Then, it flew off into the sky, disappearing.  
  
Charlie sat up. The pain wasn't entirely gone from his leg and he felt a slight wetness coming through his trouser leg. He pulled the leg up and saw blood coming from a couple of the holes she'd left.  
  
Emma dropped Morgan in front of number thirteen. Then, she turned back into herself and kneeled over her. "Morgan? Morgan, are you all right?"  
  
Morgan's eyes still looked dead, but at least she wasn't attacking anymore. She patted Morgan on the cheek, which only served to make her head move limply side to side.  
  
The front door opened and Mr. MacGregor came out. He looked to Emma with a sort of glare as he walked toward them. Emma would have been terrified if she wasn't so worried. "Sh—She won't wake."  
  
Mr. MacGregor smiled faintly at Emma and ruffled her hair as he leaned down. "I know."  
  
"How do you know, sir?"  
  
He put an arm under Morgan's back and under her knees and picked her up against his chest. "Because they told me so."  
  
Then, he walked inside the house. A car came screeching in front of Number Nine. Emma stood up in time to see Charlie get out and Olivia and her mother wave to her.  
  
Charlie gave Emma a worried look and she nodded to him. Then, she jumped into Mrs. Vertigo's car and they went screeching away.  
  
Charlie looked to Number Thirteen solemnly. They had managed to hypnotize Morgan and set her on the Gunns. They weren't going to stop until they got their way. The whole thing made Charlie suddenly very angry as he walked up the steps of Number Nine and went inside.  
  
He stopped when he heard a howl somewhere very close. There was a light on in the front of the MacGregor house. He could see Mr. MacGregor placing Morgan on her bed. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, then turned out the light.  
  
Charlie rubbed his face as he closed the front door. Grandma Bone wasn't in sight and his mother had laid out the table for dinner. It had been a very long day. 


	10. The meaning of fear

A/N: so what did ya'lll think of that? And yes, I do speak like this. Lol  
  
Anyway, so yeah, Mr. MacGregor is really awesome in many many ways. XD some of which you are going to find out. XD STAY TUNED!  
  
Listen to The Village soundtrack! IT IS THE BEST! XD So sad. TT :: sniff::  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
Monday morning, Charlie didn't see Morgan at the bus stop at all. Walking into Bloors, he didn't see her there either. He caught sight of Corazon with Manfred and saw Ada trailing behind them.  
  
She wasn't even there during break. He saw Olivia and Emma jogging ahead of him in the field. He ran to catch up with them. "Olivia! Emma! Wait!"  
  
Emma turned around. "Charlie, have you seen Morgan around?"  
  
Charlie shook his head. "No. What happened when you dropped her off at her house?"  
  
Emma told Charlie all about Mr. MacGregor and what little he had said. "So he is in the circle of the Bloors, right, Charlie?"  
  
"I don't know. You said he looked very angry when he came out, right?" Emma nodded and Charlie looked to the forest. Asa was leaning against a tree and watching them, but he didn't look as smug as he usually looked. He looked a slight bit defeated and a little angry.  
  
They ran toward the school when the hunting horn sounded. It wasn't until much later, sometime before dinner, when people were headed into the main eating hall, that he caught sight of something scary.  
  
Mr. MacGregor wasn't very happy. In fact, he looked very scary as he entered the eating hall. Dr. Bloor was seated at the teacher's table. Suddenly, Dr. Bloor stood up and moved as though he was having trouble keeping his own limbs function with his say so.  
  
He walked out of the hall and the doors closed. Charlie walked over to the doors, as did several students. Manfred called over their heads. "GET BACK IN YOUR SEATS NOW!"  
  
It didn't do any good. The ones up at the front watched through the crack in the door while a couple relayed what was happening. Charlie managed to get within the crack and hunkered down to he could see what was happening.  
  
"I told you, I didn't want any meddling, Mr. Bloor. I told you I didn't want you or your family to play with my daughter, use her like a pawn with all of the other students you use." Mr. MacGregor had his fists balled at his sides, his jaw clenched as he tried to control himself. "Yet your son still came over and told m'daughter to come out and play and then told me that if I fought you at all, she would never wake again."  
  
"I do believe I have no idea what you are talking about, Mr. MacGregor and I do suggest that if you are going to thrash me, as it were, that you do it when no one is watching." Dr. Bloor looked somewhat pleased as he motioned to the doors.  
  
Mr. MacGregor growled. "I don't have to do anything that they can see, and you know it, Bloor. Now, you send your little brat over to my house and FIX my daughter or you'll be right sorry." His voice was a growl that echoed in the hallway.  
  
Dr. Bloor flinched slightly. They were both tall and very strong men. A fist fight would be fairly even, but Mr. MacGregor also had one talent that Dr. Bloor didn't have and that meant he didn't have to touch Dr. Bloor to hurt him. He scowled at the blonde man before him. "You do anything of the sort and you are out of this school and looking for a new job!"  
  
"Not if I tell what is going on at this school to everyone else. I know what this school is reputed for and I know what has been going on inside it for a while now. Keep your son away from my daughter from now on, or it'll be my boot up your ass!"  
  
Then, Mr. MacGregor walked off down the hallway. Everyone ran to their tables and began eating as Manfred stood staring at his father with a horrified expression. Dr. Bloor looked to his son and growled. "In your seat, boy! NOW!" Then, he stalked up to the teacher's table and sat down.  
  
Olivia looked down the drama table to Manfred. He looked as though he'd just been given a fright. Asa glared down at her and she went backt o her food, though, not before signaling to Emma.  
  
Emma looked to Olivia and then to Tancred and Lysander down the table. "Tancred—Lysander—did you see any of that?"  
  
Lysander turned away from the doors and nodded to Emma. "Mr. MacGregor is not the sort of man I would want angry at me. Do you think Dr. Bloor will do what he was asked to do?"  
  
Emma looked to Manfred. "I hope so."  
  
Charlie looked to Emma and Lysander and then to the empty seat that served as Mr. MacGregor's seat at the teacher's table. He would have to find out what was going on with him and the Bloors.  
  
The King's Room felt almost empty without Morgan there causing some form of accidental chaos with Asa. Charlie had grown accustomed to it being a part of it. Manfred wasn't present at all, only Asa, who was staring at his paper in front of him in a worrying fashion.  
  
Dorcas was beside him, patting his shoulder. He didn't even acknowledge her. "Get to work, Dorcas," he said.  
  
She huffed and settled back into her seat. Charlie looked to the portrait and felt himself going into it. Manfred's presence wasn't there to stifle him, so he filtered into the portrait. He heard wind making trees rustle and a little tune playing on a harp. He heard purring, loud purring and the song got louder. "Red and gold the leaves are, the wind singing through the leaves—red, the tree bleeds, for those he left behind." Charlie found himself singing the last bit of the chorus of the song.  
  
"Get to work, BONE!" Asa was standing and snarling at Charlie. "Keep your horrible tone-deaf singing to yourself!"  
  
Charlie flushed hotly and pulled himself away from the portrait, settling into his seat to work. Asa was certainly in an even worse mood that usual.  
  
Then, the door opened.  
  
It wasn't anything major, but the change in the room was fairly significant. Charlie looked over and saw Morgan standing at the doorway, smiling at Charlie and waving to him slightly. Charlie grinned and Emma giggled.  
  
Morgan ran over and hugged Emma and then Charlie. She giggled and then stopped. She turned and saw Asa. "Not too thrilled to see me back, are you," she said with a grin.  
  
"Get to your seat, MacGregor!" Manfred walked in as Asa was about to say something snarky in return.  
  
Mrogan sat down and winked at Charlie. Then, they got to work.  
  
Durring the week, Charlie tried to keep out of trouble while he was able. He was walking to one of his classes when he heard the song playing. He followed it, stopping every now and then to listen for the direction. He noticed it was taking him toward the north tower, where the Bloor's quarters were and where Mr. Pilgrim, the piano teacher, was settled.  
  
He followed up the stairs until he came to Mr. Pilgrim seated at his piano, playing. It was the song, all right, and well played. When he stopped, he turned and looked to Charlie with that almost vacant gaze.  
  
"Where did you hear that song, sir?" Charlie walked forward into the room.  
  
Mr. Pilgrim looked to the piano and then out the window toward the church. "I heard it..."  
  
"Where, sir? Where did you hear it? What is it called?"  
  
Mr. Pilgrim looked back to the piano and started playing again, this time it was a sad song, not the song before. It was useless. He wasn't going to say anything more. He was going to play for a while longer.  
  
Charlie sighed and headed toward the door. The music suddenly stopped as he reached the doorway. "The song of the red tree."  
  
Charlie looked over his shoulder to Mr. Pilgrim, but he was back to his piano again. Charlie looked to the staircase and went back down the stairs.  
  
He was flying.  
  
Now, he was running.  
  
Now, he was walking to a clearing.  
  
He saw something shining in the distance. He heard a faint song being sung on the wind. The wind WAS the song.  
  
He was walking into a clearing. He saw three shining animals peering at him from the ground beside a shining tree. Red and gold were the leaves and golden was the trunk.  
  
He watched as the animals trotted away and the song came in again, a faint humming now, whispered through the leaves. The tree shook slightly, shuddered, really.  
  
Then, red liquid ran down the trunk, like water. He watched as it spilled over the roots and into the grass and the ground. He watched as the forest seemed to grow around him.  
  
"Red, the tree bleeds, for those he left behind…"  
  
He heard it as though it was right next to his head. He walked forward. He could feel the red splatter onto his bare feet.  
  
"Wake up, Charlie."  
  
Charlie sat up and looked around. It was dark in the boys' dorm. No one was up yet and the sky outside was black. He heard a faint howl from the forest outside the window.  
  
Then, he heard the song. It was coming from above, through the ceiling. It was the same words as before, in the same voice that was as hard to listen to as he was.  
  
He got to his feet and looked out the door. He was going to find who was singing even if he got caught. He walked silently through the hallways, trying to keep an eye out for anyone, his Aunt Lucretia, Dr. Bloor, or even Asa.  
  
He followed the voice up the stairs, into the forbidden area of the school. Then, it stopped. He looked around as he heard The Matron's boots clicking down the stairwell.  
  
He found a place to hide behind while she came over to where he was. She stood there, looking around as though half expecting him to come out.  
  
Charlie looked up from his spot and saw the flashlight. It was the one Cook had given him. It was in her hands and he could see down the corridor she was looking through things that he knew hadn't been there before. "I don't see what is so special about this blasted flashlight," she growled as she hit it with her other hand. "It doesn't even give off a fair light."  
  
The way she was hitting it, he could see up into the ceiling and up at the stairs where she had come from before. He saw a pair of shining eyes staring down at him, dark and unfocused, but had a determined look in them as they gazed down at Aunt Lucretia.  
  
Then, as fast as the eyes appeared, they turned away and disappeared into the darkness. Was that the girl that was singing before?  
  
"Stupid girl is always singing that blasted song. Why can't she sleep normally like a good girl," Aunt Lucretia grumbled.  
  
Then, she walked down the steps and out of the hallway. Charlie sighed in relief that she had gone.  
  
He got to his feet and walked down the quiet stairs, watching the dim light of his flashlight disappear down the corridor. He walked down that same corridor, now wishing that light was in his own hands, because now it seemed even darker in the halls than before.  
  
He heard a set of feet headed toward him and saw two shining yellow eyes glaring at him. Asa Pike saw him!  
  
He ran past Asa and felt Asa's hands just miss him as he went past. Charlie ran for the boys' dorm and closed the door behind him quickly. He heard the footfalls of Asa come up the stairs as Charlie got into bed and pulled the covers over his head.  
  
The door opened and Asa peered in. "What are you doing out here, Pike," said The Matron's stern tone. Asa pulled the door closed and grumbled as he walked off.  
  
The matron looked into the boys' dorm and glared about. Charlie could see the light showing strange images on the walls. He saw faint designs in the walls that looked like leaves. He looked to the opposite wall and saw a great image of a tree.  
  
The door closed and Charlie saw it no longer. He knew that image wasn't there normally, so why did he see it now? Cook had told him that it had something to do with his powers that he could the things that weren't really there.  
  
He sighed and rubbed his head, pulling the covers over him again and then drifted off to sleep again. 


	11. A Normal Day

A/N: I'm glad ya'll liked the last chapter. I've been doing some drawing and I'll be posting them up onto The Ruins lickety-split.

As for things I listen to while I do this story, it depends on the mood really, but here's some of the things I've listened to.

The Village soundtrack

Nightwish

Bond

A Question of Honor by Sarah Brightman

Within Temptation

Garbage

Harvey Reid

Origa

And that's it so far. Right now, my obsession is The Village. : dies from happiness: good god is it pretty!

Update: Good god almighty! Did you see! The New BOOK is out! . Now I have no money to go get it and read it, so you'll have this story still without the advantage of the next book information. In other words, don't flame me because I don't have everything from the books. I only have 1-3 and that is it!

Chapter Eleven

* * *

Going home felt good. Charlie hoped that it wasn't going to get worse than what had happened the previous weekend, but he held out on fully believing so. He wasn't a fool. He knew better than to trust the Bloors to their word, just as he knew that about his horrible aunts.

After getting home, he looked across the street to Number Thirteen. Morgan was opening the door, looking across to him with a broad smile that equaled her father. She waved to him and then went inside.

Charlie went inside and was greeted by Maisie, who set him down with a snack at the kitchen table. "So what has happened at that school this week?" she asked with a small smile.

Charlie launched into the story of Morgan not returning to school on Monday and the fight between Mr. MacGregor and Dr. Bloor. He told her about Morgan finally showing up with an angry Manfred behind her. He even told her about the late night singing. "I never got a good look at her, but I know someone is up there," he said finally.

"Goodness! I do hope that girl is all right, then!" Maisie said fretfully. "And that Mr. MacGregor—He's a good man. Mrs. MacGregor has always come over with dishes of sweets she's made. In fact," Maisie said as she pulled out a small tin from the counter. Inside were a few cookies with white icing on them. "They're very soft, so be careful."

Charlie grinned and ate a cookie as he walked up the stairs toward his room. Paton poked his head out of his door and grinned. "Welcome back, Charlie. I think I found one of the verses of that song." Then, he pulled his head back in as one of the lights in the hallway was starting to flicker.

Charlie walked into Paton's room. Paton was sitting at his desk with a book in his hands. "All right… Five took the castle and five he left behind, the story lives on and the story never ends, in the woods you can see him and in the woods you can feel him." When he finished reciting the verse, Charlie recognized it.

"That one of the things the girl sang," he said.

"It's part of a minstrel's song, though the lyrics are rather scattered. I've only found this bit," Paton said, "However, I'm certain that I can probably find the others."

Charlie nodded as he looked to the book. "I heard the singing again and saw a tree on the far wall of the boys' dorm."

Paton raised an eyebrow. "Really? How odd, I don't remember ever seeing anything."

"Red and gold the leaves are, the wind whispering through the leaves, red the tree bleeds for those he left behind," said Charlie, remembering what always seemed to stay in his mind since the week.

"Yes… yes—thank you Charlie. You've remembered some of it from the singing, have you? Good. I'll just write that down and you see if you can't remember any more. This is certainly going in my book." Paton was buzzing so much he could have set off the entire neighborhood.

Charlie walked out and into his room where I picked up his wand and stared at it. The tip was warm in his hand, the silver glinting in the light from his window.

Charlie stepped out into the street and crossed to Miss Ingledew's book store. He walked in and smiled when Emma sighted him. "Charlie!" she said as she trotted over and hugged him.

Miss Ingledew was behind the counter talking to an older woman. She waved to Charlie as he walked by. Emma giggled. "What did you come for, Charlie?" she asked.

"I was wondering—do you have any songbooks? Old songbooks with REALLY old songs in them?" Charlie was having a little trouble coming up with the right description and gave a weak lopsided smile to Emma.

She thought for a moment. "You mean…folk songs?"

Charlie nodded. "Yes—something like that."

She went to the information area of the book store and climbed the ladder to get to the top shelves. Charlie discreetly looked away when he saw a flash of white from under her skirt and went very pink in the ears.

Emma came down with a book in her hands and she handed it to him. He took it over to the back of the store where all the other chairs were and sat down after clearing himself a small spot.

Looking through the book was almost mind-numbing. It had songs in it that he'd never even heard of before. Emma sat across from him, watching him. "What are you looking for?"

"A song that we keep hearing in the junior boys' dorm at night," he said. "It's…strange…"

Emma blinked and nodded. However, it didn't take long before Charlie heard the bell to the store sound and Uncle Paton came in. He grinned nervously at Miss Ingledew, but he seemed a great deal more confident than in the past. "Hello."

"Paton! Oh… I have a few—er—snacks in the back if you—ah—want anything to eat." She came into the back and gasped when she saw Emma and Charlie. "Oh! I didn't remember you two were back here. Find what you were looking for?"

Charlie shook his head and Emma picked up a plate of sugar cookies. She handed it to her aunt with a smile. Miss Ingledew blushed as she handed the plate to Paton, both off in their own little world.

Charlie felt like he was trying to remember something that was locked away too tightly without a key. He sighed as he closed the book. Emma frowned at him. "Do you know what it is you're looking for exactly?"

"Not a clue," said Charlie as he handed the book back.

He stood up and walked to the front of the store, Emma behind him. He said good-bye to Emma and then walked out to find the Pets' Café. He needed to walk Runner Bean anyway.

Halfway there, however, he found Asa in his path, glaring at him with those wolfish eyes. Charlie was in no mood to deal with him and was alone, which meant Asa might be able to do something to him if he wasn't careful. "What do you want, Asa Pike," said Charlie as he stopped.

Asa moved around to a darkened area, watching Charlie with that sick grin on his face. He leaned on the brick wall of a building in the alleyway. "Nothing. Can't I just sit and watch people pass by?"

"No, you're physically incapable of it," came a tart reply. Morgan was behind Charlie. She narrowed her eyes at Asa as he turned distinctly pale. Her cat Gawain was on her shoulder and growling as he narrowed his eyes at Asa, his tail twitching expectantly.

Asa backed away from the wall and down in the alley a bit more, though his face looked surprised. Charlie saw Morgan's hands looked to gripping something. Asa growled. "STOP IT! You can't use your powers against me!"

"Says who, you twit! You're alone in an alleyway. You were going to do something to Charlie! I won't stand for it!" growled Morgan. She looked as though crushing Asa into a little ball of human would be a pleasant experience. "Your FRIEND nearly fried my brain!"

Suddenly, Asa hit the wall again and jerked away from it and them, tripping over himself to get away. Morgan raised a hand in front of her, but Charlie grabbed her wrist and pulled it down. "STOP!"

Morgan blinked as Gawain hissed at Charlie. Asa ran out of the alleyway from the other end as Charlie gave a sigh of relief. "Why did you do that!" grunted Morgan. "I could've made sure he wasn't going to hurt you or your friends ever again!"

Charlie let go of Morgan and put his hands in his pockets, looking away. "It just didn't seem right, you getting down to their level to stop them, is all."

Morgan blinked for a moment and smiled that lopsided grin of hers. She leaned down and practically picked up Charlie as she hugged him. "Thank you!" she giggled and kissed his cheek. He felt his cheeks heat up as she let go of him.

"So are you going to Pets' Café?" he said as he pointed to Gawain on her shoulder; the cat still looked like he wanted to eat Charlie. Morgan absently patted Gawain and nodded.

Runner Bean was very happy Charlie came to visit, taking him out to the park. Emma came out of the store when she saw them pass and joined them on the walk, Gawain firmly in place on Morgan's shoulder, looking very much like a statue. Today was a good day, as far as Charlie's weekend breaks from school tended to be.

* * *

Billy Raven sat alone in the boys dorm, staring out the window. He'd come back from talking to Rembrandt and was a little happier than he'd been before. He missed his friends Charlie and the others. He wished he could go out and stay over at Charlie's house, even with his horrible grandmother there.

He heard a strange song being sung, somewhat off-key, but it was better than nothing. He smiled. It was the same song he'd heard the previous weekends. The song seemed more whole this time, though.

"A whisper in the woods

He comes down the trail

Always searching always waiting

And red and gold the leaves are

The wind whispering through the leaves

Red, the tree bleeds

For those he left behind"

Billy stood up and walked around until he was directly under the room where the girl was staying. He looked up and tried to listen a little more closely so he could tell Charlie what he had heard. Charlie had said he'd heard the song as well and he wanted to know it, so Billy got on Charlie's bed and listened.

"The magic of the woods

I see them in the leaves

I see the castle in the distance

And red and gold the leaves are

The wind singing with me now"

Billy heard the door being unlocked. He got off of Charlie's bed quickly and jumped under his own covers. The Matron, Aunt Lucretia, looked in just in time to see Billy under the covers of his bed, looking like was asleep.

"Stupid girl is always singing. Wish she would stop that racket; I'm surprised that boy can sleep through it," mumbled the Matron as she closed the door and locked it.

Billy sat up as the singing stopped. He sighed. He couldn't remember what the girl sang now, it been fairly soft, though he could hear it. It didn't even sound all that important. He laid back and decided sleep was a better solution. Soon, Charlie would be back and he could at least tell him what he could remember.


	12. Spy Stuff?

A/N: Gaaaaaaaah. Just when I get back into doing this, the next book comes out. . Oh well… the same thing happened with my Harry Potter Stories. Book Five had been scheduled to come out and it didn't so I wrote a series taking place after fourth book.

Thankfully, none o' ya'll care. Lol If you do, then you aren't reading this. I'll have to get book four of CB when I finally get paid. . : wishes she had money now:

_Chapter Twelve_

* * *

The end of school play was coming up rapidly. Morgan and Fidelio could be seen together working over a piece of music. Olivia would disappear for extended periods of time into the Drama department while Emma was stuck with making clothes with some of the other girls.

Charlie was effectively left alone most of the time. Even Asa and Mafred seemed to ignore him, which was very strange indeed. He was glad he wasn't ever chosen to play with the rest of the orchestra, but he did miss his friends being there.

Mr. Paltry, once again, was disgusted with his playing. "You are useless!" cried the old tutor. Then, he shooed Charlie out of the practice room with his trumpet.

Charlie sighed as he sat down in the hallway. It was now officially summer, though the sky remained cloudy and the air cool. He could always see the sun peeking out, waiting to be exposed fully, but then the clouds would cover it up quickly. Corazon was still under Manfred's spell and she was trying to break it daily. The only girl that didn't seem to ever break it was Ada. Whenever he saw her, her eyes were as dull and lifeless as ever.

Suddenly, someone ran right into his outstretched leg and fell over. He blinked as he saw a mass of dark hair and purple cloak. Ada Isidore was hastily trying to gather herself up as she pulled her hair back from her face. Charlie blinked. She didn't look the least bit hypnotized.

"Ada?" he asked softly.

Ada looked to him with wide, brown, doe like eyes surrounded in thick black eyelashes. "I'm sorry!" she said in surprise.

"Are you all right?"

Ada nodded as she sat on her knees and looked at him, rounded face looking flushed. Charlie frowned. "What's wrong?"

"M-Manfred… he's been trying to get his hands on me all day. I keep running away, but he somehow manages to get where I'm trying to go before me. It's really annoying and a bit scary," she said with a frown.

Charlie got to his feet and helped Ada up. "So you don't know what he's been doing to you?"

"What do you mean?" she said as she stood up. She was shorter than Morgan, but still taller than Charlie.

"He's been hypnotizing you, I believe. Don't know why though, but you have to be careful about not looking at his eyes," Charlie said in a hushed tone.

Ada looked away, frowning. Charlie furrowed his eyebrows at her. "What's wrong?"

Ada looked to him and her dark brown eyes seemed to get darker, gazing at him. He almost felt like he was being hypnotized himself, though it wasn't as bad as Manfred's influence on him. He looked away and rubbed his head. "You… you do it too?"

"Somewhat… I know they want me near them because I say things that they don't want people to hear. That's all I know, I swear," she said in a small voice.

"ISIDORE!"

Ada's face snapped around to Manfred's voice. She looked to Charlie with a fearful look and then ran off. Charlie saw Manfred come around the corner and glare at him. "What are you doing out of class?"

"Teacher kicked me out," Charlie said as he glared back, though he concentrated on the caterpillar growing on Manfred's face instead of his eyes.

Manfred narrowed his eyes and grunted, looking away. "Fine. Just stay put until next class period then." Then, Manfred walked off shouting Ada's name.

Charlie had to find Emma and the others. He had to tell them about what Ada said. Olivia had told him already about Ada saying that she said things that shouldn't be said. He sat down and started writing out what Ada had said earlier. "One is strong and will bring peace to the castle of red," he mumbled to himself, "The five will break through, beware."

Then, there was the mystery song that he kept hearing. It all made no sense to him. What was it that fit the whole thing together?

He stood up when he heard a song playing, the one that was bothering so much lately. It was a violin playing, fairly well at that. Charlie followed the sound to a practice room. He looked in and found Morgan practicing. She had said she only started the previous year, but she sounded very good, though not as good as Fidelio who was practically a virtuoso.

The song stopped and Morgan stood up, opening the door. She blushed when she saw Charlie standing there. "Ah—what are you doing here?"

"Kicked out of practice," he said automatically, "Where did you hear that song?"

"I dunno, I heard it one night and the song has been bothering me since. I'd sing it if I knew the words to it, but all I could hear was the tune," she said sullenly.

"I hear that above the boys' dorms. Billy said a girl stays over on the weekends and sings that song at night. He doesn't know which girl though," said Charlie as he thought. He blinked for a moment as a thought hit him. "Do you know of anyone that doesn't sleep in the girls' dormitory?"

Morgan nodded. "Yeah, Ada. She's always missing. I figure she's just getting in later than everyone, but y'know," she trailed off.

Charlie nodded mutely as he stared up at Morgan. "Ada's the girl they're keeping here. It all makes sense. She said she says things that the Bloors' don't want anyone to hear and that she knows Manfred is constantly hypnotizing her."

Morgan looked about ready to split heads open, blue eyes wide in anger. "Those…. horrible… PEOPLE! How dare they do that to her!"

Charlie was suddenly very afraid for his life if he didn't calm Morgan down. It was the same thing with her father. It was as though the entire world was about to end as everyone knew it the moment one of them got angry.

"Calm down! There isn't anything we can do right now," Charlie said, "We'll have to find some way to get her out of their grasp without them knowing it."

"And how many times has anyone done that?" grunted Morgan.

Charlie blushed faintly. Morgan grinned that lopsided grin and patted him on the head. "All right, we'll get the others into this and figure something out."

Charlie nodded and ran off, leaving Morgan to put her violin away. She turned around and crouched down to open her case when she heard someone come up behind her. Just as she was going to turn, she was shoved inside the room and heard the door close behind her, the click of the lock sounded in the practice room. Her heart pounded as she fought to right herself and see what happened.

"And just what are you two planning?" said that voice that had a tendency to grate on her nerves every time she heard it. Asa Pike was leaning against the door, his arms crossed in front of him.

Morgan's eyes widened as she stared up at him from the floor. "Let me out," she said. "I'll turn you inside out if you don't let me out!"

Asa pulled Morgan to her feet and pushed her against the wall of the practice room. "I'll ask again. What are you two planning," he said in a calm tone.

Morgan trembled slightly at his proximity. His hands were planted on either side of her head on the wall, the only way out for her would be to go under his long arms, but the room wasn't that big to start with and all he had to do was turn to grab her. She wasn't THAT fast.

"What are you talking about?" she said as calmly as she could.

"You were talking to Charlie Bone again. Whenever he talks to someone he has a tendency to start something up that he shouldn't even know about. Now I'll ask one more time, MacGregor; what are you two planning?" His wolfish eyes bored into her with intensity, like two lasers.

Suddenly, she felt cloth against her fingers, and what felt to be muscle. Asa trembled, eyes wide as he stared at her. "Don't you start that again! STOP IT!" he shrieked, Morgan's eyes clamping shut at the sound.

"I'm sorry! Okay! I'm sorry! I can't control it sometimes, so stop yelling at me!" Morgan shouted; her nerves frayed even more than ever. Her cheeks were burning up in embarrassment.

She felt a button against her fingers and her eyes shot open as Asa suddenly jerked away from her. A low growl emanated from his throat as he backed up against the door, watching her cautiously. One of the buttons was undone at the top of his shirt. Morgan felt like she was going to faint. That was what she'd feared she had done and now she saw the evidence of it. Her face was fully red as he unlocked the door.

"I'll find out what you lot are planning, just you wait." He grinned horribly at her, as wolfish as ever. "And make sure you don't go outside at night." Then, he shot out of the room like she was going to come after him.

It was quite the opposite, however. She fell onto her knees, eyes wide and tears coming to them. "Why… why can't I stop my powers when it does that?" she mumbled. Then, she pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, the door closing with her help.

* * *

Mr. MacGregor motioned for Emma to come to his desk. Emma did so and looked to her new Art teacher. "Yes, sir?"

Mr. MacGregor smiled at her broadly. "I wanted to tank you for helping with the costumes. I'm not much of a seamstress," he said.

Emma shook her head. "It's no problem. I do it anyway, especially since Olivia is in it. I like making costumes for her."

Mr. MacGregor nodded. "Good good." He shifted a couple of papers and looked back at her. "I… wanted to ask you something."

Emma nodded and sat down in one of the chairs. Mr. MacGregor frowned as he looked off into the air in front of him. "How is m'daughter getting along with everyone?"

"Morgan? I think she's doing fine. She irritates Charlie sometimes, but I think that has to do with the fact that she's way too cheerful," said Emma with a smile. "Other than that, the only person she seems to not get along with is Asa and Manfred."

"That Bloor pipsqueak, Manfred, hasn't been trying any of his tricks on her lately, has he?"

Emma shook her head. Mr. MacGregor nodded. "And the Pike boy, what of him?"

Emma smirked. "She teaches him a lesson every time he makes her angry. I've seen the marks she leaves on him."

Mr. MacGregor nodded once again, steepling his fingers against his chin. "She knows better than to do it on purpose, but she was never one to keep her temper together, at least not for long. She's actually able to keep it under control compared to me."

Emma giggled. "Anything else, sir?"

Mr. MacGregor smiled at Emma. "You are getting better at your figures, Miss Tolley. I hope to see more improvement as I continue to teach here." Emma nodded, feeling very elated from such a compliment and stood, walking out quickly.

* * *

Charlie found Fidelio and Olivia before dinner was to start. He pulled them into a corner and told them about Ada being the girl that was left up in the attic above the boys' dorm and about how she was the one always singing at night.

Olivia nodded. "She isn't as quiet as she usually is. She was very happy and smiling all the time in class."

Fidelio grinned. "I saw her in the hallway and she was as bright as the sun."

Charlie nodded. "She's being controlled by the Bloors, though I think my warning about not looking into Manfred's eyes helped her some. We have to find out where she really lives and why her parents aren't worried about her not coming home."

Olivia frowned as Fidelio smiled weakly. "And just how are we to do that? Break into Dr. Bloor's office?"

Charlie narrowed his eyes in thought. "I suppose it would be the only way other than asking Ada herself."

"We would never get close enough to her, Manfred's always at her side," said Olivia, not in her usual high spirits. "OH! I know! I can see if I can't talk to her when she manages to get away from Manfred! She's always doing that!" she giggled.

Charlie and Fidelio nodded. "You do that. We'll reserve the spy stuff for later," said Fidelio with a grin.

With that, they walked into the main eating hall quietly, one of the last people in before the doors closed behind them.


	13. A Fight in the Hallway

A/N: is anyone even reading this anymore? Geez. Review people! I don't do this for my own sanity for NOTHING: grins:

I just finished watching Pretear and now I want to see the next episode. DAMN YOU ANIME NETWORK ON DEMAND! YOU BUILD ME UP AND TEAR ME DOWN!

Oh, by the by, you'll want to kill me after this. XD

Listen to "It's only the Fairy Tale" from MY HiME after the first break in the story.

_Chapter Thirteen_

* * *

Olivia bounced into the Drama room, sequins, paint and feathers everywhere on the ground. She was dressed in a long black shimmery cape that was used in the last play by the villain. She giggled as she twirled around in it, trying to look inconspicuous as she looked around for Ada. "Aaaada! Where are you?" she sang as she looked into one of the other rooms.

"Ada isn't here, Vertigo," said a familiar and bad voice. Manfred glared at Olivia and she put the hood over her head, raising her hands in a menacing fashion.

"Rawr! Rawr! I'm an evil witch! Beware!" she cackled.

Manfred rolled his eyes. "You're a twit, is what you are."

Olivia smiled brightly at him and twirled past him, kicking him on the shin. "ARGH!" he cried out and hopped around on his foot while clutching his leg. "YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE!"

Olivia turned to him and pulled the hood back. "I did? Oops! I'm sorry! I'm such a klutz sometimes!" she giggled.

Manfred made a motion to come after her and she hopped away from him. "Lalala! I'm an evil witch! YAY!" she giggled.

Zelda walked in from the other side of the room and stared at the scene before her. Olivia Vertigo, pink hair half hidden by a black glittery cloak, with a very angry Manfred hopping around trying to come after her. It was almost comical.

Olivia went out the door she was closest to, giggling. She hadn't managed to find Ada yet, but she had successfully taken Manfred down a few notches. Praise her magical ability to act!

Suddenly, a hand came down on her shoulder. She had enough time to see a pair of yellow eyes before the door next to her opened and a pair of dark ones came into her vision.

* * *

Fidelio walked out of the practice room, ready to go find Charlie for lunch when he heard someone walking toward him. He stopped and looked up to see who it was. He'd thought everyone had already left for the lunch rooms.

The footsteps were slow, like someone unsure of their footing, scuffling softly along. He frowned. He didn't know anyone who walked like that. "Hello?" he called.

He saw a black glittery cloak and pink hair. The girl's head was bowed as she watched her feet on the ground with interest. "Hello? Olivia, is that you? Did you dye your hair again this morning? You know, if you keep doing that, it'll all fall out."

Olivia shuffled slowly toward him, not even acknowledging his existence. "Olivia? Are you all right?" He put a hand out to her shoulder to stop her.

She slapped his hand away and looked up at him with dead eyes. He stared at her, eyes wide. "Ol—Olivia? Are you all right?"

She turned her face back to the ground and then shuffled along out of the corridor. Fidelio frowned. He knew what happened to his friend and now he wanted to turn Manfred inside out.

He ran out of the corridor to the music lunch hall, throwing the doors open loudly. Gabriel looked up as did several other people. The sight of Fidelio, cheerful and clever Fidelio, looking extremely angry was enough to put several students on edge.

Gabriel stood up and looked around. "Charlie!" he called.

Charlie was at a table with Morgan, talking to her about what they needed to do when he heard his name called. He looked up and ran to Fidelio, almost knocking over his food. "Fidelio! What's wrong? Fidelio!"

Fidelio looked as white as a sheet as he leaned against the wall for support. "Olivia—she's—she's been hypnotized," he said. His wide, angry eyes stared in front of him, but at nothing.

Charlie's heart nearly stopped. Manfred had finally done it. He'd caught Olivia and probably fried her memory completely. He helped his friend to his feet and pulled him over to sit with him and Morgan. Fidelio told Charlie and Morgan what he'd seen, but since he'd only spoken to Olivia a brief moment, there wasn't much.

Morgan became very quiet, frowning at Fidelio. Charlie rubbed his face. There had to be some way of getting Olivia back to normal without going to Manfred for it. It seemed almost hopeless to think of the possibility that Olivia would even be all right if they had managed that small feat.

Morgan stood up. She knew someone she could get to do what she wanted; all she had to do was make him wish he was dead. She might get thrown out, but their friend's life was at stake. "I'll see you later. Fidelio, you can have the rest of my food, if you want."

Charlie blinked up at Morgan. "Where are you going?"

She didn't turn for a moment and then she smiled over her shoulder at him in that usual manner she did. Only this time it was a mask to cover the seething hatred she had roiling inside her. Charlie could see it, even without the help of his powers, however odd they were getting. "I'm going to do some homework," she said and then she jogged out the doors, her cloak bobbing behind her.

* * *

Asa stood up from his seat next to Manfred, tired of all the drama department girls giggling and talking about makeup and the latest actor or actress. Manfred had learned early on to ignore it, but with Asa's powers came sensitive hearing as well as smell, even if it wasn't night time for several hours.

He walked out of the lunch hall to get his things for his French class next, running a hand through his red spiked hair. Suddenly, he felt something grab a hold on his cloak. He had enough time to register it as not something on the walls of the school caught on his cloak when he was set straight into the opposite wall.

He slid down the wall, his shoulder hurting where he'd hit the wall. A pair of invisible hands grabbed his collar and threw him into the other wall face first. He landed on the floor long enough to see something shimmering slightly in the darkened hallway. Then, he saw it move and he was thrown once again into the rock wall of the hallway, his shoulder dislocating from the impact.

He gritted his teeth in pain, hissing as he attempted to get to his feet. The shimmery person came closer. The reddish shimmer seemed to disappear as light from the windows hit her, making her look normal now, only beyond angry.

Asa felt strong, but small hands at his throat hold him against the wall as Morgan came closer, hands raised in front of her. "Wh—what are you doing, MacGregor!" he gasped.

Morgan looked up at him with eyes like steel daggers, cold and piercing. "I want you to make sure your little friend Manfred takes his little hypnosis off of Olivia, or I'll make sure you will wish you were never born."

"You're crazy. You're completely insane!" Asa squeaked. Suddenly, she moved her arms in an arcing motion and he was thrown to the floor on his face. "STOP IT!"

"No. Not until you make a promise you intend on keeping that Olivia will be back to normal by the end of this day!" she growled, planting a foot in the middle of his back.

He caught her ankle with his good hand and flipped over, pulling her down and under him. He pinned her on the ground with his body, teeth gritted in pain from his bruises, possibly a broken rib or two and now his dislocated shoulder. Messy blonde hair was spread around her head on the rock floor as she shoved at him. "Get off of me, you freak of nature!" she snarled.

Asa narrowed those yellow wolf-like eyes at her as he pulled her hands up above her head and held them there with his good hand. "Now who has power over whom, MacGregor? You'll be a good girl or you'll never get your friend Miss Vertigo back to normal."

"Says the man with a broken arm," she ground out. "Let me go."

"Not until you apologize for attacking me. I could have you thrown out of this school and your father lose his job for this," he said with that sick grin on his face.

Morgan growled at him and started struggling once more. Asa was the same weight, or lighter, than her, but he was larger, even if she was possibly stronger than him. To him, the only chance he had of winning this fight was to stay on top of her until she gave in. After that, he'd have to find some other way of protecting himself until he could as far away from her as possible. In his time at this school, the only girl younger than him that could beat him in a fight was this girl.

Yolanda was his equal in shape shifting; no, his superior. He'd developed a sort of crush on her for it, though he hardly knew why. However, this Morgan MacGregor seemed to be able to keep him on his toes without even trying. She'd said her accidental slips of touching him were and accident.

Tears of anger and fear of her causing such trouble to her father came to her eyes. Asa grinned. He had an advantage over her now. "Will you be a good girl now?"

She struggled more under him, though it was weaker, desperate. "Let me go, please," she whimpered. She hated the way she sounded.

"Not until you promise you won't use that power of yours on me ever again," he growled.

She looked to him and dug her nails into his knuckles. He let out a yelp of pain. It took everything he had to keep a grip on her, pushing her hands into the rock of the floor.

Charlie came running into the hallway with Fidelio in tow. He'd never seen anything quite like this before, his new, if somewhat annoying, friend struggling underneath one of the very people he'd grown to despise since he started at the school.

Fidelio frowned and pulled out one of his books, throwing it at Asa's head. Asa landed on the ground beside Morgan, blood coming from his forehead. "Urgh," he gurgled. Charlie grinned at his best friend and ran over to Morgan.

Fidelio grinned at Morgan. "It seems he needs a bit more studying, eh?" he chuckled.

Morgan smirked, panting slightly as she sat up. Charlie was relieved no one else had gotten hurt from this whole situation. He looked to Asa and poked his arm, earning a growl of pain. "What did you do to him?"

Morgan looked away from them to Asa. "Nothing he didn't deserve." She grabbed him by his hair and lifted his head up to face her. "You WILL get Manfred to undo what damage he's done to Olivia, or you'll find more than just me to deal with. Olivia has other friends besides us who are willing to risk everything to save her. Remember that the next time you think you've got an advantage over someone." Then, she dropped his head onto the ground.

Fidelio and Charlie helped Morgan to her feet. Charlie looked to Asa again, seeing the broken and beaten boy on the ground made him feel bad about not helping him at least get to the infirmary. "Morgan, can you carry him?" he asked.

Morgan blinked. "Eh? I'm strong, but I don't think I'm that strong. I can probably throw him along the way if you want," she grinned and cracked her knuckles.

"Charlie's right. We should at least get him some help. You did a number on him, but I think my book may have put his out for a while. I'll help you carry him, Morgan," said Fidelio with a weak smile.

Morgan frowned and nodded. "Yes, I suppose you are right. However, know he wouldn't do the same for us."

"Doesn't make it any less right for us not to help him," said Charlie. He took a leg as did Fidelio. Morgan lifted up Asa from under his arms and helped the other two boys carry the boy to the infirmary, placing him on a bed. Then, they walked out, letting the nurse find Asa there and help him.


	14. What do we need to do?

A/N: Now you're probably wondering what the heck is going on, eh? Well… I haven't a freakin' clue. ; I'm just writing it as it goes along.

I've discovered awesome music. Mai-Hime's soundtrack is freakin' awesome! LISTEN TO IT! I COMMAND YOU!

_Chapter Fourteen_

* * *

Charlie jogged along with everyone, sleeves rolled up in the summer sun. It was hot even though they were undercover in the forest. Corazon had passed by him earlier and she looked as cheerful as ever. He figured it was her good mood that made the sun blaze down on them so much.

He wanted to laugh. It was the complete opposite of Tancred's powers. The angrier and more blustery Tancred got, the harder the storm was. The happier Corazon was, or determined, since she could make it blaze down and dissipate Tancred's storm when she was under hypnosis.

Charlie had to stop and rest against a tree, under the shade of the leaves. It was far too hot for anyone, much less the girl making it that hot. Corazon stopped in front of him and blinked down at him. "Are you all right?" she asked in a cheerful tone.

Charlie was having a bit of trouble breathing, and he was sweating something awful. He nodded and waved her off. "Just taking a break. Aren't you hot?"

Corazon blinked at him like she hadn't heard him right. "It isn't that hot out here."

Charlie looked up at her and stared at her like she was insane. "There's barely even a breeze. How can you stand this heat?"

Corazon continued to look at him cluelessly. "Um, but I like it this hot. I don't like cool weather."

Charlie straightened up and loosened his tie. "Whether you do or not, you're making it feel like we're in an oven. If you feel ANYTHING about other people's feelings, please stop making the sun shine so bright."

Corazon frowned, dark eyes looking down slightly. She looked like she was about to cry. Charlie groaned. He didn't mean to make her cry. "Look! I'm sorry! The heat's just getting to me! Please don't cry."

She sniffled and Charlie nearly fell over himself trying to make her stop. "Please, I'm sorry. Just stop crying, please!"

She nodded and the clouds seemed to form once again, blocking out the sun a bit. It started getting cooler in the area and Charlie's temperament was getting better. "Thank you, De La Cruz. It feels much better," he said in hopes of making her stop with the waterworks.

Corazon nodded and jogged along without a word to him. He sighed. He hated it when girls cried. He felt bad about making her cry, but at least he could take the normal summer temperature.

* * *

Fidelio jogged along the path, liking the new breeze that had started up. The previous temperature was almost stifling. He saw a bunch of pink hair ahead of him and clenched his teeth as he jogged over to Olivia.

"Olivia! Olivia!" he called to her. He caught her by the shoulder and turned her around, gray eyes looking normal. He grinned and hugged her. "OLIVIA!"

She laughed and shoved him off. "Fido! What is wrong with you?"

Fidelio blushed faintly as he laughed. "It doesn't matter right now. Are you feeling any better?"

Olivia blinked and giggled. "What are you talking about?"

Fidelio smiled at her faintly, though a bit of worry was in his face. "Manfred got a hold of you and wiped you clean."

Olivia giggled. "You're just being stupid. No he didn't. I haven't seen him since yesterday when I kicked him on the shin. You should've seen me! I was fantastic! I pulled out that cloak the old witch in the last play wore and pretended I was just playing around in the dress up room while I was looking for Ada, but Manfred came in and scared me. So I kicked him in the shin after playing around him and walked right out of there!"

Fidelio nodded. Inside his mind, he was working out where in there Manfred managed to hypnotize Olivia. He also wondered if her being all right meant that their message got through to Asa or if this was part of another, deeper trick.

Olivia poked Fidelio on the forehead. "You're being awfully quiet, Fido. Did someone die?"

Fidelio grinned at her faintly. "No, just thinking is all. Here, let's run together," he said and took off.

"OI! WAIT FOR MEEEE!" Olivia squealed behind him.

Watching the pair take off were a pair of dark eyes. Manfred watched the pair go off with a grimace. Asa wasn't his friend, but he was an ally. Seeing what they could do together to one person made him wonder what sort of damage they could do to him if he hadn't done what Asa had told him to do.

He turned around and started back for the castle, brain remembering his conversation with Asa. He'd gone into the infirmary because Zelda and Dorcas had both told him Asa was there. However, when he arrived, he'd seen Asa sitting up, holding his shoulder as he glared at Manfred. The growl that issued from the boy was most unsettling.

Asa had taken a hold of his collar with his good hand and snarled in his face to lift the hypnosis on Olivia Vertigo before night fell. Manfred could have easily made Asa forget about it, but the thought of that was somewhat distasteful to him. So, he'd done exactly what was required of him and gone on.

"So they like playing rough. Fine, I can deal with that," he grinned as he walked inside.

* * *

Emma walked to the girls' dorm, thinking to herself. She heard someone singing, off key, but singing no less. It was a strange song she'd never heard before.

She walked along the corridor until she came to a set of stairs that went up to the attic of the school. She remembered being thrown in there. Was it Ada up there singing already?

She walked carefully onto the first few steps, hearing them creak dangerously under her. "What are you doing here?"

Emma nearly fell off the staircase when she whipped around. "Oh, sorry, ma'am. I thought I heard something. I guess it was just my imagination," she said in a higher tone than was normal for her.

The Matron glared at her through narrowed eyes and nodded. "Fine, go to your dorm now," she said in a harsh tone.

Emma nodded quickly and practically ran to the girls' junior dorms. Once in there, she found Olivia, pulling the girl over to talk. Dorcas wasn't far off, watching them in a worrying fashion.

"What's the matter?" asked Olivia, startled by Emma's behavior.

"She's up there."

"Yeah, we knew that," said Olivia, smiling brightly.

Emma frowned and sat down. "Thanks a lot. Why am I the last to know about these things?"

"Because you were busy with costumes?"

Emma shot Olivia a look and smirked faintly. "Yeah, I suppose I have been a bit absorbed lately."

Olivia giggled. "Don't worry about it! Besides, those costumes are excellent!"

Emma smiled.

* * *

"It looks as though trying to get close to Ada is impossible, now. They've gotten their security around her tighter than ever," said Fidelio with a frown.

"Maybe we should sneak up there and talk to her?" said Olivia.

"We do that, someone will have to make sure Aunt Lucretia doesn't find us, or Manfred for that matter," said Charlie as he stared at the table in thought. He sighed and rubbed his head. End of term tests were coming up and he'd kept forgetting to study for them.

"That's not a problem. One of us go up, the other act as look out. Maybe we could signal each other or something. It's at least safer than going into Dr. Bloor's office," said Fidelio.

"And what happens when she's hypnotized and we can't get anything out of her?" grumbled Charlie.

Olivia giggled. "Then, we'll just sneak into the good doctor's office."

"You make is sound so easy," grinned Fidelio, looking to Charlie. "Cheer up, we'll find out what's going on with her home before long."

Olivia nodded. "Let's gather at Fido's house! Make sure we bring Emma along, she's been feeling a little left out."

Charlie nodded. "I'll get her and bring her home and then Fido can come get us," he grinned at Fidelio. A faint blush came across Fidelio's freckled cheeks.

* * *

The time to go home for the weekend came. Emma hugged Charlie goodbye before trotting over to the green bus for the Art students. Charlie blushed slightly, though he hardly knew why. It was just Emma after all.

Olivia hugged both Fidelio and Charlie eagerly, bouncing on her feet as did her wild pink hair. "I'll see you both this weekend. See you, Fido! See you, Charlie!" she giggled and ran off to be with her friends on the Drama bus.

Charlie and Fidelio got on the blue bus for the music students and started talking about ways of getting to Ada's information. Charlie saw Morgan running for the bus with her trunk in tow, a few students behind her including Asa Pike. He'd never seen Asa do anything other than glare, grin evilly, or plot evilly. Seeing him run was a bit like watching an animal run, very fast and agile, though his right arm was in a sling.

Morgan was out of breath running for the bus. She knew it wouldn't leave without her, so she slowed to a walk, panting heavily. She pulled her trunk up beside and prepared to put it on the bus when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She groaned. She knew who it had to be. "Why can't you leave me alone?" she growled as she turned her head to see Asa grinning at her.

Asa pinched her cheek and laughed. "You're going to the wrong bus, unless you suddenly want to be with the Drama class."

Indeed, Morgan looked again and saw she was at the purple bus. She blushed heavily and started walking toward the blue bus, but the hand on her shoulder didn't leave. "You can let go, Pike."

His hand lifted and he put his hand into his pocket. "What, no scathing remark? I'm surprised at you, MacGregor. You haven't even used that stupid power of yours on me since you dislocated my shoulder."

Morgan turned around and glared dangerously at Asa. "Do you want me to break your arm as well? I'm trying to get on the bus."

Asa grinned and came closer, leaning down until his face was close to hers. "I'm going to enjoy playing with you for the remainder of my time here, Morgan." Then, he winked at her and jumped up onto the purple bus.

Charlie watched the entire scene with a questioning look on his face. "What? What's going on out there?" he asked Fidelio.

Fidelio shrugged. "Who knows," he said, though there was a partial smile forming on his cleverly freckled face.

Charlie rolled his eyes and watched as a white faced Morgan got up into the blue bus and walked toward them, sitting beside Gabriel behind Charlie and Fidelio. Gabriel blinked at Morgan. "Are you all right?"

Morgan nodded dumbly. Gabriel raised an eyebrow at her and then frowned. "Are you sure? Asa Pike's not the nicest person in the world. Did he say something wrong to you?"

Morgan shook her head.

Gabriel looked to Charlie, who was looking over the seat at them. Charlie shrugged and sat down.

He'd called her by her first name. Morgan wasn't surprised by Asa's threats of torment. What surprised her most was that he didn't call her MacGregor, but Morgan. A faint blush crept across her cheeks involuntarily as did a faint smile. Gabriel looked to her and grinned. "Ah, all right. I see you have your humor back."

"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?" she giggled. Charlie grinned to Fidelio at her better turn of mood. "Though, Charlie, don't you dare think you're going to be let off the hook for leaving me out of your little gathering at Fidelio's house!"

Charlie let out a slight yelp as Morgan reached over the seat and hugged him. "I want to come to. Is it all right, Fidelio?"

Fidelio smiled weakly. "Yeah, you can. I'll clear it with my mother."

Morgan giggled again and let go of Charlie, sitting down in her own seat. Charlie frowned. Fidelio's mother was attacked by Morgan, but Morgan didn't know what happened. They would have to explain Morgan's situation with Fidelio's mother before Morgan could come over.

He sighed and leaned into his seat as the buses took off, watching the city pass by.


	15. It's a date?

A/N: I've come to a conclusion. Ya'll aren't reading this. Therefore, to spite ya'll, I'm going to keep writing it until SOMEONE says something!

I'm thinking that last scene in the previous chapter should have been kept for the end of this particular story, but too late, it's good where it is. Oh well. Live and learn.

: needs to get book four before her head explodes:

_Chapter Fifteen_

* * *

Home wasn't what Charlie expected it to be. He expected his mother and Maisie to greet him and then Grandma Bone to give him his usual interrogation, but when he stepped into number nine Filbert Street, he found more than just Grandma Bone looking testy, but his three horrible aunts, Lucretia, Eustacia, and Venetia.

Aunt Venetia was drinking tea, her red boots sticking out conspicuously from under her black skirt. Aunt Eustacia glared at him as did Aunt Lucretia. "I hear you have been causing trouble in school, Charlie," said Aunt Venetia in her usual manner. The iron claw in the velvet glove could best describe her common technique of questioning.

Charlie groaned, pulling his sleeves up to his elbows and loosening his tie. Aunt Lucretia glared at Charlie. "You and your little friends have been planning something. You always do."

"And what would we be planning?" said Charlie, looking very tired. Maybe if he taunted them enough, they'd let slip what they were doing.

Grandma Bone, however, held up a hand, following Charlie's line of thought. Aunt Venetia sipped her tea calmly again. "Tell me, why do you despise your aunts so? We only want to help you better yourself."

Charlie kept silent. He had a wonderful taunt back at them, but he wanted to keep it to himself. The look of Grandma Bone's rock like figure sitting there was enough to tell him that she had a clue as to what he was thinking. "Are you through with me?"

"Dinner's ready, Charlie!" called Maisie's voice from the kitchen.

"Yes, we are through," said Grandma Bone in a terse tone.

Charlie started for the kitchen quickly, though he heard Aunt Venetia's calm tone pierce through his tired mind. "I'm certain your friend Emma's hands are better now, aren't they?"

Charlie stopped, frozen in place. He knew they had a hand in hurting Emma's hands. Aunt Venetia was a magical seamstress and Dorcas had been working under her when she had her home on Darkly Wynd. All three aunts had homes on Darkly Wynd circle, but Uncle Paton had managed to burn Venetia's home down by making several of the lights and Venetia's sewing machine explode.

However, to hear the confession from her straightly was enough to make him want to throw something at her. He trembled slightly as he stood frozen in the doorway of the kitchen and sitting room. "Come come, Charlie. Did you think little Miss Loom did it all on her own?" said Venetia's taunting tone.

"Venetia," said Grandma Bone in a strained tone.

"First, she wouldn't be able to fly… correct? She wouldn't be able to change to fly away," said Venetia as she put her cup down.

Charlie's face turned toward the door, letting go of it as he stood in front of the door to the kitchen. "Then… the pain would increase, rope burns and a rash like appearance to her hands," Venetia continued, smiling faintly at Charlie's back. He could hear it in her voice.

"Then, there would be cracking… and bleeding… pain upon pain, as though her hands were breaking right there if she so much as moved them."

Charlie felt wetness in his hands. He hadn't realized his hands were clenched. His hands were bleeding slightly from his nails digging into his palms. He had to get out of there before he did something that would make him unable to go to Fidelio's home.

"I'm hungry," he said shortly. Then, he walked stiffly into the kitchen, slamming the door.

Maisie looked up to see Charlie panting, sweating slightly and white as a sheet. "Charlie, dear, are you all right?"

Charlie came away from the door and sat down at the table in the kitchen as he heard the footsteps of his three aunts walking to the door and out. Maisie blinked at her grandson and put down a plate of fish and chips for him, his favorite dish.

Charlie ate sparingly and in silence, even when his mother came home. Both his Grandma Jones and his mother were worried about what had happened in the sitting room.

"Charlie, what did they say to you?" asked his mother.

Charlie frowned as he stared at his plate. "Venetia was the one that hurt Emma. She had a girl named Dorcas Loom tie her up with a special rope so she couldn't transform. Only the condition got worse and Emma's hands were bleeding."

Maisie frowned as his mother put her hand to her mouth and uttered a slight gasp. Charlie looked to his mother. "We managed to help her and heal her hands, but to hear that… from one of THEM."

Maisie put her hands on her hips and glared at the kitchen door. "It'd serve them right if you used that wand on them."

Charlie blushed faintly. He still didn't know how to use the wand properly. He hoped his little hiding place would stay hidden from Grandma Bone's prying eyes.

After finishing his supper, he walked up to his room and lay down. He pulled his wand out and looked at it, looking at his Welsh/English dictionary as well. He'd managed to make himself learn French using the wand. In fact, he had somehow managed to make himself memorize the entire dictionary for French class using the wand.

He tapped the Welsh/English dictionary with his wand and said what he had said last time. The book flashed for a second, as did the tip of the wand, and then everything went dark again. Charlie now knew Welsh. He grinned to himself. He hadn't thought about it before, because he had never had the time to think about it, but if he could do it with French, and then he could do it with Welsh so he could better use the wand.

He put his wand away and lay back on the bed. It didn't take more than a few minutes before he fell fast asleep in his uniform. His mother came up not long after that, pulling his shoes off and then covering him up in his blanket. She chuckled. He was like his father, sometimes that reminder was hard. She saw Lyell in Charlie, especially when he fell asleep without putting on his pajamas.

She sighed and walked out; her faith in Charlie's words still had a grip on her heart. _He knew his father was alive_.

* * *

Charlie walked down to Miss Ingledew's shop, the clouds almost nonexistent in the sky. He felt like his heart was going to pound itself out of his chest as he walked in that heat. He was glad to be inside someplace relatively cool when he entered the shop. He didn't spot anyone around.

"Emma? Miss Ingledew!" he called.

Miss Ingledew poked her head around the corner and smiled at Charlie. "There you are, Charlie! Emma will be ready in a little bit."

She walked out from the back room and fanned herself with her hand. "It's been awfully hot lately. They say it's only in this area. You wouldn't have any idea about this, would you?" she said with a weak, but pleasant smile.

Charlie sighed. "Yes, I do, unfortunately." Once again, he found himself wondering how someone could love the heat of the sun THAT much.

"Is he here?" called Emma from the stairs that led to the apartment above the store.

"Yes, he is, Emma. Come down, dear. You're making the poor boy wait!" Miss Ingledew called up.

Emma came down the stairs, dressed in what looked to be a new skirt with her hair pulled into braids and decorated with sheer green ribbon. Charlie nodded to Emma and smiled.

Miss Ingledew nodded and waved them off with a cookie each. Emma walked beside Charlie the entire way, Charlie feeling a little uncomfortable being with Emma. "I'm glad you came to get me. I was getting worried that you wouldn't show up and I would have to call Fidelio to come get me," she said finally when they reached the street leading to Filbert Street.

"Er—sorry. I almost forgot," Charlie said as he looked down the street. He stopped. For a moment, he thought he saw a bit of red hair hiding behind a house. He jogged over, but saw nothing when he came close to the house.

"What's wrong, Charlie?" asked Emma as she jogged up behind him.

Charlie shook his head. "Thought I saw Asa for a moment."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he was following us," said Emma.

They walked onto Filbert street, Emma looking like she was about to faint from the heat. Charlie put an arm around her shoulder to help keep her upright as they walked into number nine.

Maisie walked into the sitting room where Charlie had helped Emma sit down. "Goodness gracious! I'll get you both some water. It's this damnable heat that's doing this!" she said before she hurriedly went into the kitchen and came out with two glasses of cold water.

Emma smiled at Maisie. "Thank you, ma'am."

Maisie giggled and patted Emma's arm as she sat down. "You must be Emma. I've heard a great deal about you."

Charlie felt his cheeks heat up. Emma blushed as well and looked to Charlie. Maisie smiled broadly at them. "Nothing bad, mind you."

Thankfully, the doorbell rang. Charlie shot out of his seat and ran to the door as though his life depended on it. He found Morgan at the door, dressed in her usual tomboyishly feminine manner. She wore a knee-length skirt and a T-shirt with what looked a bit like hiking boots. It was almost a direct opposite from Emma. While Morgan looked like she was about ready to climb things and play with the boys, Emma looked like she was going out on a date, wearing a shimmery green shirt with a billowing short skirt that had lace on the hem.

It almost made Charlie wish he was somewhere else when he thought of him on a date with Emma. He briefly wondered which direction he could run when Morgan's slight Scottish accent burst his through his thoughts like a jack-hammer. "Aren't you going to invite me in, or do I have to wrestle you to the ground before I can be inside."

Charlie stepped dumbly aside and let her go through. She pulled out a pair of hair-ties and pulled her messy blonde hair into pigtails. He almost didn't see the little blue cloth flowers attached to the things now in her hair.

Emma didn't though. She shot out of her seat and walked over to Morgan, instantly asking the girl where she found such adorable hair-ties. While they were gabbing, Charlie almost shut the door on Fidelio. "Oi! That's the second time you've done that to me!" said his friend as he pushed the door open in his defense.

"Oh, sorry, Fidelio. I didn't see you there."

"I can see why," Fidelio said with a grin as he saw Emma.

Charlie blushed and glared slightly at Fidelio. Fidelio took the hint. "Are you lot ready to go? Mum has the car here."

Charlie did a double take. "What?"

Fidelio blushed slightly and laughed. "Ah, we'll explain it to her in the car. Come on. Olivia's already inside waiting."

Emma and Morgan walked out with the two boys. Mrs. Gunn smiled in a strained manner at Morgan. "Good afternoon," she said politely.

Morgan could feel friction coming from Mrs. Gunn, though she couldn't figure out why. She sat in the front because they couldn't squeeze her in the back with everyone else.

"Is something the matter, Mrs. Gunn?" she asked.

Mrs. Gunn looked to Morgan and blinked. "What? Oh, of course not."

"Mum, it's… not her fault," said Fidelio from the back seat. He explained what had happened, Mrs. Gunn nodding as they pulled up to Fidelio's house.

"I see," she said. She turned to Morgan and smiled brightly at her. "It is nice to meet you, Morgan. Please, let us all go inside," she sang as she got out of the car and walked toward the front door.

Morgan smiled, though in her mind she played the events of that night, seeing them in flashes. Charlie and Emma running out the door, Mrs. Gunn smiling at her and then suddenly dropping; it was like it was all part of a strange nightmare, but she knew it was true.

Once inside, Mrs. Gunn came out with drinks for everyone. They trooped up to the attic, past the noisy rooms of Fidelio's brothers and sisters. It was somewhat quieter than being downstairs.

"How should we get the files on Ada?" asked Emma. She looked to Olivia with a frown.

Olivia smiled broadly and giggled. "By playing spies, of course!"

Morgan laughed. "Breaking into Dr. Bloors office when he's not there, of course. Olivia has already tried talking to her and that turned out a bad idea."

Charlie shot a glare at Morgan as she blinked at him. "What? It's true isn't it? Oh! Wait! Maybe I could try. An endowed is harder to hypnotize, right?"

Emma frowned a little more. "You've been hypnotized before. It didn't last long, but look at what happened."

Morgan blushed a bit. "Yes, well, it hasn't happened again, has it?"

"Besides, you would have to find her somewhere in the Drama department and you aren't a drama student," said Fidelio.

"So it looks as though breaking into Dr. Bloor's office is the only other way," said Charlie.

"Oh good, I always wanted to get expelled for espionage," said Morgan. She really didn't like this idea. There were too many chances for them to get caught.

"Spies are killed, Morgan," said Fidelio. Morgan stuck her tongue out at him as he laughed.

"All right!" grunted Charlie. "I think I have a plan." Then, everyone leaned in close to listen to this plan.


	16. Espionage!

A/N: Like you need me to say anything. You're not even reading this fic, so why should I even bother putting my thoughts up here?

I'm eating Junior Mints and drinking Sprite, what more could I ask for? MONEY: whimpers: I need to cash this freakin' check before I go insane.

_Chapter Sixteen_

* * *

The Monday back, their plan was ready to play out. If they didn't get the information soon, summer break would seal them out of the entire deal completely. Charlie wasn't going to take the chance of letting Ada stay at the school like she was any longer. It reminded him too much of Emma and Ollie Sparks.

Charlie outside the door of his practice room once again; he'd been thrown out once again by Mr. Paltry. He didn't need to do much to make Mr. Paltry throw him out. All he needed to do was mess up once and Mr. Paltry would get frustrated and toss him out. He had counted on this happening.

He heard a song playing that sounded like the song Ada had been singing for so long. It was very loud and sounded as though it was taking everything to play it. Fidelio appeared around the corner and winked at Charlie. Suddenly, the music stopped and Morgan appeared, apologizing to her teacher. "I have to get some air ma'am. It's stifling in there. Don you mind if I do?"

Then, she walked over, grinning at Charlie. "Well, there's that. We've got a few minutes. Olivia should be doing what you asked of her and so is Emma, since they'll both be in the auditorium working with the set and clothes."

As if on cue, there was a loud crash and Manfred's voice yelling at Olivia. "VERTIGO! WATCH WHERE YOU PUT THAT THING! YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!"

Charlie and Fidelio smiled weakly at each other, wondering just what Olivia had done to Manfred that had almost killed him. The three walked up the stairs toward Mr. Pilgrim's room. Charlie once again heard him playing that sad song. It didn't seem to end as they passed by and carefully walked past a few other rooms. This was the dangerous part of the school, where the Bloors slept.

They found Dr. Bloor's room, Charlie remembering where it was from the last time he'd been called to Dr. Bloor's office. He also remembered Manfred's mother, wandering around listlessly because she couldn't play music any longer.

They stayed down the hallway away from Dr. Bloor's office. Morgan reached a hand up and wiggled her fingers a moment. Then, she closed her eyes and it looked as though she gripped something in her hand. "It's locked. I'll have to try from the other side," she said in a low voice.

Charlie and Fidelio both looked at her oddly. Charlie almost asked what she meant when he heard a click from the door and then Morgan's hand turned, the door opening down the hall.

"How did you do that?" asked Fidelio, trying to figure it out.

"It's harder than line of sight, but I can open doors by imagining I'm on the other side of the door. I just can't do anything that I don't already know what the other side looks like. Like a trunk or any lock that requires a key."

They walked in and all three split up, looking through Dr. Bloor's cabinets. Charlie could barely read Dr. Bloor's handwriting. It was almost gibberish what he saw. Fidelio had just as horrible luck. "I can't read any of this," said Morgan from the other side of the room.

"Chicken scratch, all of it," said Charlie.

"He's a doctor all right," mumbled Fidelio.

There were footsteps walking down the hallway. Morgan used her power to close the door carefully and locked the door. Whoever was walking by, wasn't Dr. Bloor, thankfully. They walked past his office and up the stairs.

Charlie's heart thumped loudly in his chest as he hurriedly looked through student folders. He suddenly found his own and frowned. He wanted to look at it, but he had to find Isidore before the next person came up was Dr. Bloor himself. Then, his file wouldn't even matter, he would be both thrown out and had his brain completely wiped by Manfred.

"I found it," said Charlie with a grin. "Fidelio, get something to write with."

"I've got it," said Morgan. A pen suddenly flew right at Charlie and hit him on the head.

"OW! Watch it, Morgan!" he hissed as he bent down and picked up the pen.

Charlie pulled out a scrap of paper from his book bag and wrote down the address of where she was supposed to live; at least what he hoped was real. He also wrote down her parents' names and closed the drawer.

Charlie heard a faint sound at the door. He turned to see Morgan's hand in the air again, holding onto the doorknob. Someone was trying to get in, but Morgan was holding them off.

"I was afraid of this. Charlie, get out that window there. Emma should be on stand by, like you asked," she hissed.

Charlie nodded and ran to the window. The door kept moving in Morgan's hand, the lock locked tightly. She wondered why, if Dr. Bloor was at the door, why he wasn't using his key to unlock the door. She was putting too much concentration on holding the door closed to see if she could scare whoever was on the other side.

Charlie looked to Morgan and motioned for her to come. She nodded and carefully walked to the window as she stared at the door. Charlie and Fidelio were on the ledge and walking toward a small platform outside Mr. Pilgrim's room. Morgan let her concentration go long enough to get out onto the ledge. The door opened and she saw a flash of red hair. "Ah!" she gasped. Had she managed to unlock the door in the same moment?

Something grabbed her ankle. She hit the ledge and fell forward, hanging out of the window partially. She kicked at whoever had her with her other foot as she grabbed onto the ledge with her hands.

Charlie and Fidelio looked back to see Morgan hanging from the ledge by her hands and a flash of red hair from inside the room. "Pike's at it again," said Fidelio with a frown.

"We have to do something. She'll be taken to Dr. Bloor and Manfred will hypnotize her completely," Charlie said. His heart was in his throat as he tried to think.

However, Morgan was planning on just trying not to fall. Her hands gripped the rock ledge, but she was slipping. Tears came to her eyes as she growled and let go with one hand and swung herself up to get a better hold. Suddenly, a hand shot out and grabbed both her wrists. "Get up here," growled Asa.

Morgan looked around wildly for another way out. If Asa got a hold of her, she would be thrown out of the school with her father in tow. Charlie and Fidelio would be found out and then they would get thrown out as well. "Let go of me!" she cried out at Asa.

"You idiot! Do you want to die!" called Asa as he started pulling her up.

There was a sound, the call of a large bird. Morgan grinned as Asa looked out over the window ledge to get a better hold on her. "What are you grinning at, MacGregor?"

"Nothing you can see," she said with a bright smile. He blinked at her, frowning at her strange behavior. Then, he felt nails dig into his arms. He let go of her out of reflex, but shot down to get her again. He gave a shout as he saw her slip away from his hands.

Morgan fell, eyes clenched shut as she hoped what she thought would happen was right. She felt feathers beneath her when she hit something. She grinned and held onto Emma's bird form as it flew to the ledge where Charlie and Fidelio were and then into the woods.

Charlie, Fidelio and Morgan all hugged Emma tightly, laughing, and whooping at their success. They each ran back toward the castle through a series of hiding places and went back to their classes. It had been an exciting event for one day.

* * *

"Did you hear? Asa's been put into detention for being caught in Dr. Bloor's office," said a girl not far from Morgan.

Morgan appeared in the poor girl's face. "What?"

The girl nodded, looking somewhat disappointed. Morgan recognized her as being in the choir. "I heard it was because Dr. Bloor caught him looking through his file cabinets and trying to escape through the window."

"Is he going to be expelled?" asked a girl next to Morgan.

"No, Dr. Bloor took pity on him since he's Manfred's friend," she said.

Morgan got back in her seat and looked to Gabriel. "So he gets detention and we would end up getting expelled if it had been us. Lovely to know he doesn't play favorites," grunted Morgan.

Gabriel smiled weakly. "I'm sure there's more going on, than that. Nothing here is what it seems."

Morgan frowned as Dr. Bloor yelled at them from the teacher table. "I SAID NO TALKING! MacGregor! Detention!"

Morgan rubbed her face. She hoped Charlie wouldn't get detention, so he could get to Ada's home before something happened to her that they couldn't fix. Gabriel patted her on the shoulder and looked over at the Drama table. She raised an eyebrow at him as he blushed faintly and looked back to his dinner.

Morgan shook her head and ate the rest of her dinner as quickly as she could, though little good that did. All it did was make sure she had finished before everyone else. She still had to wait on everyone else to finish so the next courses could be passed down the table.

When dinner was through, the endowed children each had to walk to the King's Room. Charlie sighed as he waved to Fidelio and followed Morgan and Billy to the King's Room, sitting down across from the portrait.

Morgan sat across from Asa as usual, the two glaring at each other hotly. Manfred sat at the end with Zelda on one side of him and Ada on the other. Gabriel sat with Tancred and Lysander, though looked down the table frequently toward Manfred and Ada. Corazon sat down next to Dorcas, who was leaning toward Asa rather closely.

Asa rolled his eyes and pushed Dorcas off of him. "Stop leaning on me, you twit," he grunted. Dorcas seemed to shatter as she looked to the table, and then she glared at Morgan across the table.

Morgan blinked, wondering what would cause Dorcas Loom, a girl only a year younger than her, to start looking at her as though she was ready to launch herself across the table and strangle her.

Morgan hurriedly pulled her homework out and started working on it, trying to keep the image of Dorcas ready to kill her out of her sight. "Miss Loom, get to your work," said Manfred.

Charlie looked to the portrait of the Red King and concentrated on trying to get inside it without alerting Manfred. He heard faint song playing, a low voice singing. It was warm, like the Earth, and enveloped him in a strange sort of sadness as he listened to the tune, barely hearing any words.

"Bone! Do your homework!" growled Manfred.

Charlie was pulled from the portrait by whatever force Manfred held over him. He sighed and went back to his homework, writing his answers without really thinking.

Morgan looked to Asa again, looking to his arms. She wondered how deep the marks she'd made on his arms earlier that day. She could feel cloth under her fingers as she turned completely red, trying to make her power stop. The last thing she needed was another detention before summer break.

Asa was looking at her. She could feel his eyes boring into her head. She thought for a moment there was going to be another row, but he said nothing and she suddenly felt skin under her fingers. Her eyes widened as she looked to see what had happened. He'd pulled his sleeves back, complaining it was too hot in the room. She saw the marks she'd left and almost blanched at her ability to make marks that deep. They were scabbed over now, but that meant they had been bleeding before.

She looked back to her homework hurriedly, sinking slightly in her seat in embarrassment. He may have deserved a lot of what he had received from her, but her act of desperation had been pretty brutal looking. She heard Dorcas gasp and try to talk to Asa once again. She didn't care. She felt absorbing information would be better than listening to whatever else was going on inside her head or in that room.


	17. The Isidore House

A/N: once again, I don't own Charlie Bone or any of Jenny Nimmo's characters. I own Ada, Corazon and Morgan, namely because they are people I know… and the latter is me. ; Mary Sueish, but she's cute. Lol

_Chapter Seventeen_

* * *

Charlie watched as his friends ran out to the busses that Friday. He had detention because he messed up his English homework. He'd accidentally written everything in Welsh.

He sighed and lay back on his bed. Billy Raven walked over and smiled at him, those big red eyes looking happy for once. "The Bloors said I was going to be adopted soon. After school ends, I'll be with a new family and then I won't have to stay here."

Charlie smiled. "That's good. Hopefully, you'll get a good family."

Billy nodded excitedly and walked out the door. Charlie got to his feet and headed toward the door. When he had found out he had detention, he had given everyone the address and the names of Ada's parents, so that they could find them without him there. He hoped that on Sunday, when he got home, Fidelio would phone him and tell him they had found Ada's parents and found out that they were worried about their daughter not coming home with the other children.

He grinned to himself. Maybe the Bloors hadn't made a mess of her parents. That was a good thought. He heard the bells from the church and looked out a window in the hallway.

He needed to find his father and fast before the Bloors did something bad to him.

* * *

Morgan was carrying books from one shelf to another in the library. They were heavy, but they were in the wrong place and she was through with them. She had pulled her hair into pigtails, the heat of the sun coming in through the windows in the library.

"Well, at least no one's bothering me now," she mumbled to herself.

"Talking to yourself, MacGregor? Maybe we should tell the nurse." Morgan nearly dropped the books in her arms. She looked over at Asa as he walked into the library, grinning at her in his usual manner.

She glared at him and walked to the shelf where one of the books belonged. "Come to bother me some more, Pike?"

"Nothing more than I usually do," he said as he came closer.

A strange shiver went up her spine as she put the book away. "Leave me alone," she said in a warning tone.

Asa ran a hand through his spiked red hair. "I rather enjoy taunting you. You're very amusing."

Morgan stiffened and turned slowly, growling faintly. "Go away, Asa Pike, or I'll shove this book up your ass!"

"Temper, temper, Morgan MacGregor. You're beginning to sound like your dad every day now," Asa sniggered.

Morgan gave him a withering look before putting walking to the shelf opposite her to put the other book away. Asa stood directly in front of her and advanced on her, making her walk backward into the bookcase. He leaned down slightly and grinned at her. "Now, tell me, why is it you always stare at me in the King's Room? Why is it you can not control that freakish power of yours when it comes to me?"

Morgan blushed bright pink and held the book tight against her chest. "Leave me alone, Asa."

Asa leaned a little closer down, yellow eyes boring into hers. "Now, I've asked this question to myself over and over again, why does Morgan MacGregor act so strangely around me. I've always come up with several answers." He leaned down a little more. "Most of which were you trying to throw me off your friends by making me focus on you."

"It's nothing I can control, damn it. I'm not acting strangely around you," she grunted. She didn't like how close he was getting to her.

His face was in hers, very close indeed. "I came up with one answer that intrigues me."

"And what is that?" she challenged, getting very irritated at him.

"Morgan? Morgan, it's time to eat." Billy Raven walked in just then, giving Morgan a chance to shove Asa away from her, dropping the book in her arms on his foot. Asa gave a yelp of pain and hopped on his good foot while growling obscenities at her. Morgan grabbed Billy's hand and pulled him away from the library and down the hallway.

* * *

In the King's room that night, Charlie sat with Billy down the table from Asa and Morgan. Manfred was in his normal spot, glaring at Charlie every now and then. Morgan shot Asa nervous glances as she tried to concentrate on her homework, but Asa's glare could be seen every time she looked up.

Charlie motioned his head toward Asa amd Morgan with a questioning look at Billy. He'd seen Morgan come into the dining hall with Billy in tow earlier; he hoped the boy could tell him what was going on. Billy shot Manfred a nervous look and scribbled something on his paper, shoving it at Charlie quickly.

'Morgan dropped a book on his feet' the note said. Charlie had to bite his lip in order to keep from laughing.

"I'm bored!" said Asa loudly.

"Be quiet, Pike," said Manfred without looking at him.

Morgan looked up at Manfred and then at Asa, blinking. "What, you don't have anything to do?"

"Nope, nothing. What about you, MacGregor?" Asa grinned maliciously at her.

Morgan let out a yelp of pain. Asa had kicked her shin. Manfred glared at the both of them. "I said be quiet, BOTH of you, before spend the entire summer break here."

Morgan glared at Asa and kicked him squarely on the knee. He gritted his teeth and a low growl came from his throat, yellow wolf-like eyes glaring at her. She narrowed hers before going back to her homework.

Something flew into Charlie's hair. He blinked and lifted out a paper airplane. He looked at it carefully for a moment before opening the piece of paper. 'When we get out of here, I want permission to personally turn Pike into ground meat if he shows up while we're trying to find Ada's home,' said the note.

Morgan was glaring at Charlie in such a manner that he didn't need to write anything. He was glad to just nod at her. She seemed to be a bit happier as she grinned horribly at Asa and then went back to her work.

Billy shoved another note to Charlie. Charlie looked at it and nearly fell out of his chair when he did. It said, 'I think they're made for each other.'

Charlie wrote back to Billy, getting the note back with another note. 'Because they're both scary,' it said. Charlie laughed just as Manfred yelled at him. "I said QUIET!" Then, they all went quiet.

* * *

Charlie ran home from the bus stop. He ran up to his room to put his trunk away and ran downstairs to use the phone. Grandma Bone glared at him from her room. "Do you NEED to stomp everywhere?" she growled.

"Sorry!" he said breathlessly as he picked up the phone.

"Who are you going to call this late at night?" she snapped.

Charlie didn't answer. He punched in Fidelio's number and held the phone to his ear. "Gunn Residence, Hello?" said a female voice on the other end.

"Mrs. Gunn? Is Fidelio over there?" Charlie asked quickly in as quiet a voice as he could manage.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Charlie. He is staying over at Miss Vertigo's home."

Charlie frowned faintly. "All right. Thank you, Mrs. Gunn. Good-bye." Then, he hung up the phone.

He walked into the kitchen and sat down, suddenly very tired. Maisie came over and sat down with him, smiling brightly at her grandson. Charlie told her about finding information on Ada and the fights between Asa and Morgan, as well as their plan to find Ada's home so they could get her away from Bloors Academy while he ate dinner.

"My, how exciting," said Maisie with a smile, "It's just like being in a cinema." She brushed her hand against his wiry, unruly hair and smiled warmly at Charlie. "Just be careful, Charlie. You're getting more and more under their skin. I don't want to lose my favorite grandson."

Charlie smiled and yawned, taking his dishes to the sink before going up stairs. He laid down on his bed and instantly fell asleep, once again, in his uniform.

* * *

"Charlie! Your friends are here to pick you up!" called Charlie's mother. She picked up her purse and smiled weakly at Emma, Olivia and Fidelio. "I'm sorry; I can't entertain you right now. I have to get to work." Then, she ran out the door.

Charlie jogged down the stairs two at a time and jumped onto the floor excitedly. Emma was thanking his Grandma Jones for the sandwiches when he waved good bye and pulled them out of the house. Fidelio's father was in his car, waving at them to get into the car.

When they reached Fidelio's home, they walked up to the attic to eat their sandwiches. "What has anyone found out? Has anyone found out where she lives?" said Charlie, panting from running up the stairs the way he did.

"Charlie, calm down, or you'll choke on your lunch," said Emma.

Fidelio gave a weak smile. "We haven't found anything. I can't quite figure out where this address is."

Charlie looked at the address again and then looked at the map that was on the floor beside them. Olivia crawled over to help him, looking in another area of the map. Suddenly, she sat up waving them all over. "I found it! I found it!"

Charlie crawled over and looked at it. "Where were all of you searching?"

Fidelio frowned. "No where near there."

Emma nodded. "I would never think to look there."

Charlie nodded to them and looked down at where Olivia's finger was placed. It was very close to Darkly Wynd, which meant very close to where his horrible aunts lived.

They walked out of the house after thanking Mrs. Gunn for her courtesy, and then walked into town. Charlie had a horrible feeling in his stomach as he walked with his friends closer to an area of town that looked as scary as his three aunts.

However, when they turned a onto the street they needed to get to Ada's home, everything went from dark and gray to pleasant and well kept homes. Gardens could be seen on the front lawns as well as people tending them. Charlie looked to the piece of paper again. "Rose Street—that's what it says there," said Charlie.

They walked up to the door of a house that had the same number as on his paper and knocked. There was a sudden chill in the air as the door opened. A short, thin woman with short brown hair looked down at Charlie and his friends. She looked haunted. "Oui?" she said, her gaze seemed as though she was looking straight through them.

"Er—ma'am, we came to ask you about Ada," said Charlie.

A look of sadness washed over the woman's features. She nodded and waved them inside the house. There was a dog barking in the backyard, a very large golden retriever. She sat down at the dining room table and offered them a seat at the table as well. "What are you coming here to ask about her for?" she said in a saddened tone.

Charlie furrowed his eyebrows at her. "We wanted to ask why Ada hasn't been coming home."

"You went to school with her?"

Charlie looked to his friend and his frown deepened. "We go to school with her, yes."

"Oh—oh dear—I'm afraid she's very ill. You can't be still going to school with her. She's been in a mental hospital for a long while now." She looked almost as though she was going to cry, her glasses looking watery along with her dark eyes.

Olivia was about to speak, but Fidelio stepped on her foot and covered her mouth. Charlie raised an eyebrow at Mrs. Isidore. "I think you've been lied to, ma'am. She's been at school with us this entire time."

Mrs. Isidore glared at Charlie and slapped him. "Don't you dare say such a thing! I saw her just yesterday! She was—" She stopped and choked into a Kleenex, trembling. "She was wandering around the courtyard... mumbling things to herself. Just like before she went to school. We brought her here because we thought Bloors would help her, but they said they couldn't do anything for her."

Charlie rubbed his cheek. She had to have been duped by some sort of charade. It was the only explanation. He knew Ada wasn't at some mental hospital, insane and mumbling to herself, though he knew she did say weird things out of the blue.

"Please… please leave," Mrs. Isidore said softly. "Please leave."

Charlie and the others walked out the door, saying good bye to Mrs. Isidore before walking back toward Fidelio's home. Charlie frowned as he marched in front of them. "Charlie, what do you think we should do?" asked Olivia.

"We need to get Ada out of their grasp, get her someplace where someone can take care of her while we get the Isidore's to her," said Fidelio, frowning in thought.

Charlie stopped and a smile came to his face. "Olivia, you're her friend, right?"

"As much as I can be," she said, though she grinned. "A sleep over it is!"

Charlie laughed. Emma giggled and nodded. "And I'll come to make sure it doesn't seem too suspicious."

"A sleep over! A sleep over!" sang Olivia as she bounced on her heels. They all laughed as they walked back to Fidelio's home. It was a good day after all.


	18. A good end

A/N: I feel like shit. Feel sorry for me or I'll beat you over the head with a baseball bat.

Well, I just accidentally screwed up the desktop on this computer. I was looking at the resolution and was playing with it to see what it would look like in 600x800, and I hit apply by accident when I thought I hit cancel. Lucky me, I had to piece the desktop icons back together from memory. It's still not right and now I know my mom is going to be irritated at me for screwing up the desktop. : grunts:

Update! I feel better now that someone actually reviewed! . THANK YOU FINNEGAN IRISH!

I'm glad people like the Asa/Morgan relationship… or lack there of. Lol

For those wanting to see some stuff, I have a bunch of new pictures up.

Check out my scraps on my page fatalrob0t. deviantart. com

Take out the spaces and you'll be able to view it. not allowing me to put up links anymore. -.-;

_Chapter Eighteen_

* * *

The Monday back had everyone ready to leave for summer break. Even Charlie, who knew that he hardly had any chance of going anywhere for the next few weeks, was feeling ready to leave for a little while. However, he first had to deal with his end of term exams, which he loathed even the idea of them. 

Olivia seemed to fair well with getting close to Ada, though she did have to get past Manfred and Zelda to do so. However, once she had her away from them, Ada seemed to become almost normal, though she seemed a little spacey compared to how Olivia had seen her when she wasn't completely hypnotized.

Morgan seemed to be avoiding Asa like the bubonic plague. Asa noticed this when, on Wednesday, he saw her coming down the corridor with her book-bag on her shoulder, and she looked up at him and immediately ran for another hallway. He was faster than she was, so he ran after her. He missed her completely in the hallway as other students were walking out of classrooms at the time.

He frowned at this. She had been acting weird around him ever since she first showed up at the school. Then, when he figured out just exactly why she was acting weird around him, she took off whenever she saw him. He touched his hair, which was clean, and then sniffed under his arm. It couldn't be because he smelled funny.

On Thursday, there was a strange occurrence in the hallway. Tancred was in a foul mood because one of his teachers told him he needed to improve on something and one of the "troublesome trio", as Mr. MacGregor had claimed them to be during art class, bumped into him.

Corazon apologized repeatedly, blinking large dark eyes at him. Tancred's hair crackled dangerously and a wind storm was suddenly created in the hallway. Corazon had to hold down her skirt because it kept blowing up with the wind. Then, finally, she was rammed into the wall by someone unable to handle the wind.

What made it strange was that the wind immediately died down when Corazon started crying and sniffling because Tancred was being mean to her. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please stop crying!" he whimpered as he patted her on the back and tried to calm her down.

Charlie had seen the entire thing and wondered if it was just a clever ploy to make a boy behave toward her because he had made her cry. He'd only seen it happen once with her and that was him, he had immediately tried to comfort her because she was crying.

On Friday, Charlie ran out to the bus with Fidelio behind him, trying to escape the school as quickly as possible. Everyone seemed in a hurry to leave, though, when he saw Olivia towing Ada behind her as though she were a doll, he knew why. Asa was behind her and enclosing the distance.

Olivia yelled at him over her shoulder, and then sprinted on the bus, leaving both Ada and her trunk beside the bus. The driver grunted as he got out and put the trunks on the bus before giving Asa a stern look. Then, he walked onto the bus without a word, Asa behind him.

When the busses started to leave, Charlie watched the purple bus until it disappeared over a hill. When his stop finally came, he walked home, Morgan chattering beside him like a happy bird. He said good bye to her and then walked into his home, narrowly missing Grandma Bone running into him as she walked out with her hat on her head and her purse in her hand.

Maisie greeted Charlie with a wide smile and hugged him before setting him down to dinner. He told her about the week and what they planned to do with Ada, watching his Grandma Jones gasp and react in all the right places.

Then, he walked up to his room and collapsed on his bed, a smile on his face as he thought about what he was going to do the next day. This time, he went to bed in his pajamas, fully ready to deal with whatever Grandma Bone, his horrible Aunts or the Bloors had in store for him.

* * *

Charlie knocked on his Uncle's door gently. When he heard Uncle Paton's voice, he poked his head in and then walked in completely. Uncle Paton looked to Charlie after a moment, his nose almost buried in a book. "Do you have anything more?" 

Charlie shook his head. "She only sings that verse and what sounds to be a chorus, but I remember something Mr. Pilgrim said."

"Who is Mr. Pilgrim?" asked Uncle Paton.

"He's is one of the music teachers. He lives in one of the towers and stares out the window all day, or plays strange music on his piano," said Charlie. "Anyway, he was playing that song and I asked him what it was. He said it's called 'The Song of the Red Tree'. I hope that's helpful."

Uncle Paton narrowed his eyes in thought. "Song of the Red Tree—spacey—plays piano—" He seemed in his own world until the doorbell rang.

Charlie bid his uncle good day and then ran down the stairs. Charlie opened the door and was nearly tackled to the floor by Olivia. "Charlie! We have her! We have her!"

He looked through Olivia's fire engine red hair to Fidelio and Ada. He grinned. "Good, then we can take her over to her parents' home today, right?"

Ada blinked. "What about my parents?"

Fidelio smiled weakly. "She's been a bit out of it, but otherwise she's all right."

Morgan ran up to the house, smiling broadly and panting. "Oi! Aren't you lot going to wait for me!"

Charlie laughed and peeled Olivia off of him long enough to be hugged by Emma and Morgan. They stayed around long enough to eat lunch with Maisie, telling her what they were going to do, and in Morgan's case, telling it with obvious movement that resulted in her knocking her glass of water onto the floor. Maisie laughed and Morgan cleaned up the mess with some help from Charlie's Grandma Jones.

Then, they walked out and into town. As soon as they reached the area of Darkly Wynd, Charlie started feeling uncertain. He felt as though someone was watching him from far off.

Ada looked around, looking worried. "We… we moved here because Dr. Bloor said I would be treated here for whatever was causing me to black out. But I don't remember being treated by anyone other than that nurse in the infirmary, and that was for a few scratches I'd received from scraping my knees on the floor."

Charlie frowned, heart pounding in his chest as they rounded onto Rose Street. Morgan mussed up Charlie's hair as she looked about. "It doesn't look like anything bad is going to happen, Charlie."

Charlie stopped when he saw a woman with red boots and a long black dress at the Isidore house. Charlie frowned. "Aunt Venetia."

Morgan pulled everyone into a bush just as Aunt Venetia turned around to look in their direction. When she turned around, Charlie could hear her talking to Mrs. Isidore. "Oui, Madame. She has run away from the hospital and they haven't seen her about. I am certain they will find her before something horrible happens to her."

Mrs. Isidore started crying and nodded. "Merci, Merci. Thank you for your help, Miss Yewbeam." Then, she walked inside and closed the door.

Aunt Venetia walked away from the house, looking around for a second before chuckling in a low voice and walking away down the street, turning away from Rose Street.

Ada frowned. "But, I'm not crazy."

"No, you're endowed," said Charlie without looking at her. When he was sure his aunt wasn't going to come back he hopped out with Ada in tow. "We're going to show your mother that you are all right."

Suddenly, Charlie was tackled to the grass by a flash of red hair. "I have him!" called Asa.

Morgan leapt out of the bush with a growl. "No you don't!"

Asa was thrown off of Charlie, skidding to a halt on the asphalt of the road. Morgan yelled at Charlie and the others. "You lot deal with Ada, I'll deal with this twit!" Then, she ran off after Asa.

Charlie nodded and grabbed Ada, taking her to the front door of her home. He hurriedly knocked on the door, looking around nervously for his aunts or Manfred. The door opened and Olivia grabbed Mrs. Isidore around the waist, hugging her as she called out to her. "Please, let us in! Please!"

"What? I told you children! Please stop tormenting us in such a fashion! She even escaped from that hospital! Leave us be!" cried Mrs. Isidore.

Then, she stopped, seeing Ada. She gasped and ran inside. "Inside! Inside now!" said Ada quickly as she leapt from Charlie.

They closed the door on the battle being waged outside. Asa was tossed across the street by Morgan. He hit the side of a car parked beside the sidewalk, falling back against the hot ground, panting.

Morgan came over and crouched over him, taking him by the collar so he could see her face. "Don't you ever attack my friends, Asa Pike. EVER!" Then, she punched him on the nose and pulled him onto the grass of someone's lawn.

Asa, however, grabbed Morgan's ankle when she tried to walk away from him and wrestled her under him once again. His mouth and nose were bleeding as he peered into her face, panting harder than before. "You need to stop acting so tough, MacGregor. You can't beat me."

Morgan wrestled him under her, locking his legs with hers as she held his arms down beside his head. "Leave me alone, Asa. Leave all of us alone," she growled before getting up and kicking him on the side.

Asa laughed as he held his freshly bruised ribcage. He watched her walk away to the house before getting up very carefully. He would deal with her the next time he saw her in school. He wouldn't have Manfred around him as much and he would need a new form of entertainment.

Inside the Isidore house, Mrs. Isidore was looking at Ada as though she was a ghost. Ada looked to her mother, large, doe like eyes wide and tearful as she looked to her. "Mama? Mama! I'm all right! See?" she sniffled.

Mrs. Isidore gaped wide eyed at her daughter. "Ada? Ada, why are you here? You're supposed to be at the hospital! If Papa ever saw you here right now, he would be greatly upset with you!"

Ada ran over to her mother and hugged her. "Mama! Please! It's all right! I'm not crazy! My friends kept me away from that horrible Manfred Bloor so that I would remember everything and not black out so much. They couldn't keep me away from him all the time, but they did their best."

Mrs. Isidore put her hands on Ada's rounded cheeks and smiled down at her daughter. "Ada, I missed you so much. They said you were getting worse and that you would soon be unable to see us any longer. Whenever we went to see you at the hospital, you would just sit in a chair like a limp doll, staring into nothing! Or worse, you would be mumbling and staring out a window as though it would talk back!"

Charlie stood up from the heap of friends that had landed on the floor when they leapt inside the house. He frowned as he walked toward Mrs. Isidore. "They were lying to you, ma'am. That woman that was here not long before we showed up was my Aunt Venetia. She's a horrible woman, along with her three sister, one of whom is my grandmother. The Bloors are just as horrible, lying to you and setting up a charade to fool you into leaving your daughter in their care."

Mrs. Isidore looked to Ada, patting her on the cheek again. "But, what about her strange spells of amnesia and her saying such strange things from no where?"

"I… believe," said Fidelio, though all you could see was his hand waving in the air. He pulled himself from Emma and Olivia and stood up. "I believe she is endowed, like Charlie here, or our friend Emma. She has powers that she may not know how to control."

"She has the power of prophesy," said a deep voice.

Mr. Isidore, a tall and stocky man with a reddish face walked in through the front door. "She has what my grandmamma had, though I didn't know what it was until now."

Ada ran voer to her father and hugged him. "Papa! Papa! I'm so glad to see you!"

Mrs. Isidore smiled and kissed Charlie's cheeks. "Merci, eh…"

"Charlie Bone, ma'am. That's my friend Fidelio Gunn, Emma Tolley and Olivia Vertigo. The girl outside is Morgan MacGregor. We're all here to help Ada," he said with a smile.

Ada giggled and kissed Charlie's cheeks as well. "Merci, Charlie. Thank you all for helping me."

Charlie grinned as Olivia hopped once, giggling. "Yay! I'm glad we could help!"

When they walked out, Charlie and his friends walked together back to his home. When he picked up some things for him to take with him, they walked to Morgan's home where they stayed the night, laughing at Mr. MacGregor's jokes and impersonations of Dr. Bloor and Manfred and having a good time.

It really was going to be a good summer break after all.


End file.
